2007年VOA标准英语-US Republicans Worry about Fallout From Craig S
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：2007年VOA标准英语（八月）
Washington
30 August 2007
Some prominent Republicans are calling on conservative Republican Senator Larry Craig of Idaho to resign in the wake of his June arrest by an undercover policeman investigating sexual activities in an airport men's room. As VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports, Republicans are already worried about national political fallout from the Craig scandal.
Senator Larry Craig
Larry Craig has been in Congress for 27 years, first as a congressman 1 and now a senator.
Craig has been a reliable conservative Republican during his years in Congress and a longtime critic of gay marriage. But some of his most stalwart supporters are now abandoning him after revelations this week that he was arrested in the men's room at the Minneapolis, Minnesota airport last June.
An undercover policeman said Craig first looked at the officer through a crack in the bathroom stall door, then sat in the next stall and began to tap his foot in a way that signaled a desire to engage in what the officer called lewd 2 conduct.
Craig eventually pled guilty to a lesser 3 charge of disorderly conduct.
But after the arrest and guilty plea became public, Craig held a news conference in his home state of Idaho and denied any wrongdoing.
"Let me be clear. I am not gay," he said. "I never have been gay. I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport. I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge in hopes of making it go away."
Craig's defiant 4 defense 5 did not sit well with many of his fellow Republicans, including Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona. McCain spoke 6 to the Cable News Network.
"I believe that he pled guilty and he had the opportunity to plead innocent, so I think he should resign," said Senator McCain.
Senate Republican leaders stripped Craig of committee assignments in the Senate pending 8 an ethics 9 investigation 10. Craig also voluntarily left the presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt 7 Romney.
White House spokesman Tony Snow stopped short of calling for Craig's resignation, but did express disappointment on behalf of President Bush.
"I do not think the president is drawing any global judgment 11 on Republicans," he said. "What we have said is that the story is certainly a disappointment and it is something that the Senate Ethics Committee is going to be handling."
Michigan Republican Congressman Peter Hoekstra was the first to call on Craig to resign. Hoekstra told NBC's Today program that Republicans should act swiftly to prevent negative political fallout from the Craig scandal.
"The important thing here is that we need to maintain the integrity of the United States Senate and of the institution of Congress," he said. "I mean, we are at 18 to 20 percent approval ratings and this is one of the reasons why, that when these types of things happen in Congress, it appears there are no consequences. That is unacceptable to the American people."
Some Republicans worry that the Craig scandal could alienate 12 social conservatives within the Republican Party, a key constituency in next year's presidential and congressional elections.
Political experts say Republicans have plenty of other things to worry about next year without having to fend 13 off another sex scandal as they did during the 2006 congressional midterm elections.
The 2006 scandal involving former Republican Congressman Mark Foley of Florida and his improper 14 involvement with teenage congressional pages was a factor in the Democrats 15 winning control of Congress last year.
University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato says the Democrats already have an edge going into the 2008 election.
"They have many advantages, not least that we have had one party in power for eight years, and Americans normally like to change after eight years, but they do not always do it," he noted 16. "Second, there is no question that the president's unpopularity, which stems mainly from Iraq, but also from [Hurricane] Katrina and other events, is going to be an albatross around the neck of any Republican [presidential] nominee 17."
In the coming weeks Craig is expected to announce whether he will seek a fourth term in the Senate.
- He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
- The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
- Drew spends all day eyeing up the women and making lewd comments.德鲁整天就盯着女人看，说些下流话。
- I'm not that mean,despicable,cowardly,lewd creature that horrible little man sees. 我可不是那个令人恶心的小人所见到的下流、可耻、懦弱、淫秽的家伙。
- Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
- She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。
- With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
- He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
- I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
- Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。
- The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
- He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。
- The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
- Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。
- In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
- He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
- The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
- He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
- His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
- We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。
- I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
- He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。
- Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
- Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。
- The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
- The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。