voa标准英语2008-Obama Picks Retired General as National Security

General Jones is a tall, imposing 6 former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps 7. His looks and demeanor 8 have been compared to those of the late actor John Wayne.

Jones served for more than 40 years in the U.S. military. He rose in the ranks from leading a platoon in Vietnam to serving as the supreme 9 allied 10 commander in Europe for the NATO alliance.

Jones also served as the Bush administration's envoy 11 to design an Israeli-Palestinian security model in the West Bank city of Jenin. He also traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan on fact-finding missions for the Pentagon.

The retired general says the Iraq war has caused the U.S. to "take its eye off the ball" in Afghanistan and has warned the consequences of a failure there are just as grave as in Iraq.

Jones grew up in Paris and is fluent in French. As a young officer in the 1980s he was the Marine Corps' liaison 12 to the U.S. Senate.

President-elect Obama says General Jones brings both military and diplomatic experience to the job of national security advisor.

"I am convinced that General James Jones is uniquely suited to be a strong and skilled national security advisor," he said. "Generations of Joneses have served heroically on the battlefield, from the beaches of Tarawa in World War II, to Foxtrot Ridge 14 in Vietnam. Jim's Silver Star is a proud part of that legacy 15. He will bring to the job the dual 16 experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat 13."
　






President-elect Barack Obama, left, with Secretary of State-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, and National Security Adviser-designate Ret. Marine Gen. James Jones in Chicago, 01 Dec 2008

General Jones will be part of a foreign policy team that will include Defense 17 Secretary Robert Gates, a carry-over from the Bush administration, and Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

As national security advisor Jones will have extraordinary access to Mr. Obama. He will work in the West Wing of the White House and will consult with the president several times a day.

Past advisors 18 have had to mediate 19 between the Pentagon and State Department, and Jones says a coordinated 20 security strategy is essential.

"National security in the 21st century comprises a portfolio 21 which includes all elements of our national power and influence working in coordination 22 and harmony towards a desired goal of keeping our nation safe, helping 23 to make our world a better place and providing opportunity to live in peace and security for the generations to follow," he said.

Jones is currently president of the U.S. Chamber 24 of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, an effort designed to unite energy producers and policymakers behind a strategy to secure U.S. energy supplies.

While serving in Europe he encouraged NATO to regard global energy as a security issue.

President-elect Obama says the link between energy and security is important.

"Jim is focused on the threats of today and the future. He understands the connection between energy and national security and has worked on the frontlines of global instability, from Kosovo to northern Iraq to Afghanistan," Mr. Obama said. "He will advise me and work effectively to integrate our efforts across the government, so that we are effectively using all elements of American power to defeat unconventional threats and promote our values."

The 64-year-old retired general shares at least one hobby with the president-elect. Mr. Obama enjoys playing basketball and General Jones played the sport while studying at Georgetown University.