2006年VOA标准英语-US Presidential Contenders Take Early Steps Tow
时间：2019-01-31 作者：英语课 分类：2006年VOA标准英语（十一月)
By Jim Malone
Washington
16 November 2006
The 2006 U.S. congressional elections are now history, but there is already plenty of activity in both parties looking ahead to the 2008 presidential campaign. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has an early preview from Washington.
Within days of the end of the 2006 congressional election campaign, Democrats 1 and Republicans alike were already taking steps to run for president in 2008.
Rudolph Giuliani
On the Republican side, Arizona Senator John McCain is setting up a committee to explore a presidential bid two years from now as is former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Giuliani spoke 3 recently in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally hosts the first presidential primary and a key stepping stone to the White House.
"You have got to campaign, you know, person to person, and people get a chance to really evaluate you and they get a chance to figure out, what are your ideas, what do you stand for," he said.
A recent Gallup poll found Giuliani the top choice among Republicans for president in 2008. Giuliani won the support of 28 percent of voters while John McCain was second at 26 percent.
Other Republicans who have either taken steps to run for president or are considering a bid include Massachusetts Governor Mitt 2 Romney, Tennessee Senator Bill Frist, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and California Congressman 4 Duncan Hunter.
John McCain
Many experts regard Senator McCain as the early favorite in the Republican field. But McCain faces doubts among some social conservatives who criticize his efforts to win over moderate and independent voters.
John Fortier, a political analyst 5 at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, says McCain will be in the spotlight 6 in the congressional debate over Iraq in the months ahead.
"You have [Senator] John McCain on the Republican side who is not quite the favorite of this bigger field, but will be in the Senate, will be on the Armed Services Committee and involved in some of these debates," hr said. "So I think you will see the presidential politics swirling 7 in the congressional arena 8 just because the players are there."
McCain is one of the few potential candidates for 2008 who advocates sending more U.S. troops into Iraq to quell 9 the sectarian violence there.
Some experts believe Iraq could prove to be a political liability for the Republicans in 2008 much as it was in this year's congressional elections.
"If you stick with the basic strategy that he [President Bush] has been pursuing for three years in Iraq, which is that you have got a large number of troops kind of in the crossfire 10 there, that could really put a damper on Republican prospects 11 for 2008," said Judd Legum, who is with the Center for American Progress, a public policy research organization in Washington.
As for the Democratic field in 2008, most experts regard New York Senator Hillary Clinton as the favorite. But Clinton must overcome doubts by some Democrats that she is too polarizing a political figure to win the White House.
Barack Obama
Clinton may also get a challenge from an unexpected newcomer to the national stage. First-term Illinois Senator Barack Obama has caused a stir within the Democratic Party by announcing he is considering a White House bid in 2008.
Some of his Democratic rivals question whether Obama has the necessary experience to run for president, noting he has served only two years in the Senate. Obama spoke to that issue during a recent appearance on NBC's Meet the Press.
"I am not sure anybody is ready to be president before they are president," he said. "Ultimately, I trust the judgment 12 of the American people that in any election that they sort it through because, you know, we have a long and rigorous process."
Other Democrats who have either taken steps to run or are considering a White House bid include Senators Joseph Biden of Delaware, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Evan Bayh of Indiana, John Kerry of Massachusetts, and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.
Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa has announced he is forming an exploratory committee and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is also considering a run.
Analyst John Fortier predicts that two names will dominate the crowded Democratic presidential field in the months ahead.
Hillary Clinton (file photo)
"You still have a very strong candidate on the Democratic side in Hillary Clinton and then the very interesting revelation of Barack Obama hinting that he will throw his hat in the ring," he said. "I think that is going to keep a lot of the other people out of the news and those two will dominate."
Many experts believe that Democratic gains in the 2006 congressional elections indicate that voters will be looking for political moderates when they decide on presidential candidates in 2008.
"So, I think winners out of this campaign include [Massachusetts Republican Governor] Mitt Romney and [Illinois Democratic Senator] Barack Obama, people who can go out there as presidential candidates and offer some promise of transcending 13 these tribal 14 differences [between the parties] are going to have a little bit of a leg up [an advantage]," said Norman Ornstein, an author and longtime observer of U.S. politics.
Most of those considering a presidential bid are expected to make a final decision on running early next year. The presidential nominating caucuses 15 and primaries begin in January of 2008.
- 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》
- 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。
- 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。
- 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。
- What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
- The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
- This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
- The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
- Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句
- She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
- He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。
- Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
- The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。
- They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
- When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。
- There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
- They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
- 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。
- She felt herself transcending time and space. 她感到自己正在穿越时空。
- It'serves as a skeptical critic of the self-transcending element. 它对于超越自身因素起着一个怀疑论批评家的作用。
- He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
- The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。