Attention Turns to What New President Would Do

After Five Years of War, Attention Turns to What New President Would Do
Obama and Clinton both promise withdrawal, but differ on timing. McCain supports the Iraq policies of President Bush, who says "this is a fight America can and must win." Transcript of radio broadcast:
21 March 2008

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

This week, the war in Iraq entered its sixth year. For millions of Americans, the economy is a more pressing concern now. But the war is still an important political issue as Americans prepare to elect a new president.


Rebuilding Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has proven more difficult than expected. Free elections took place and a new government was formed, but an insurgency grew.
Last year President Bush ordered a temporary increase of thirty thousand troops. The surge has reduced levels of violence. But experts say long-term security will require political unity among the different groups in Iraq.

Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the war. Several million have been displaced from their homes.

The fifth anniversary came as the United States had lost almost four thousand troops in the war. More than sixty thousand have been wounded.

Protesters demonstrated in Washington, D.C., and other cities, but the protests were not as energetic as in the past. President Bush marked the anniversary with a speech Wednesday at the Pentagon, the Defense Department headquarters.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it. The answers are clear to me. Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision – and this a fight America can and must win."

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he would have all fighting forces out of Iraq within sixteen months in office. Hillary Clinton says she would begin withdrawing troops within sixty days of becoming president. But she has stopped short of setting a time for completion.

The Democratic candidates say the war is taking away money from national needs like health care and education. Congress will have approved about six hundred billion dollars for the war by the time the new budget year begins in October. Experts disagree about the total long-term costs of the war.

Senator Obama noted that the Iraq war has lasted longer than the American Civil War and both world wars. American involvement in World War Two lasted from nineteen forty-one to nineteen forty-five. American losses, though, have been far smaller in Iraq compared to other major conflicts.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain supports the current war policy. He has said he would keep troops in Iraq even for one hundred years if necessary. Senator McCain visited Iraq last weekend with a congressional delegation.

A Reuters/Zogby poll this week suggested that both Democratic candidates would lose to John McCain in the November election. Last month the same poll showed John McCain losing to Barack Obama.

Next month, Congress will get another report on the war from American ambassador Ryan Crocker and commanding General David Petraeus. President Bush has to decide after that whether to order additional troop reductions after July.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.

----------------------------Google Translate
经过5年的战争中，注意轮流什么新的总统会做
奥巴马和克林顿曾承诺撤军，但是不同的时间。麦凯恩支持伊拉克政策的美国总统布什，他说： "这是一个打击，美国能够而且一定要打赢" 。全文电台广播：
2008年3月21日

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语。

这个星期，伊拉克战争进入了第六个年头。对于以百万计的美国人来说，经济是一个更迫切的问题。但是这场战争仍然是一个重要的政治问题，因为美国人准备选出新的总统。


重建后，伊拉克萨达姆政权被推翻已经证明更加困难比预料的。举行自由选举和新政府成立前，但叛乱增长。
去年，布什总统下令暂时增加3.0万军队。激增减少了暴力的程度。但专家说，长期安全需要政治团结各不同群体之间在伊拉克。

成千上万的伊拉克人被打死，在战争中。几百万人已被迫离开家园。

第五周年来，因为美国已经失去了近4000士兵在战争中。超过60000被打伤。

示威，在华盛顿特区和其他城市，而抗议，没有充满活力的，因为在过去的。布什总统标志着周年讲话周三在五角大楼，国防部总部。

布什总统说： "五年到这场斗争中，有一个可以理解的争论，是否这场战争是值得的战斗，无论斗争，是值得获奖，以及我们是否能赢得它。答案是，我很清楚。消除萨达姆政权被一个正确的决定-这是一个打击，美国能够而且一定要打赢" 。

民主党总统候选人巴拉克奥巴马说，他将所有作战部队赶出伊拉克内部16个月在办公室。希拉里说，她将开始撤军后六十天内，成为总统。不过，她已经停止了短期设定的时间才能完成。

民主党候选人说，这场战争是拿走钱，从国家的需要，例如健康护理和教育。国会将批准约6000.0亿美元，用于战争的时候，新的预算年度开始于10月。专家不赞成总长期战争费用。

参议员奥巴马指出，伊拉克战争持续时间之长，比美国南北战争和两次世界大战。美国卷入第二次世界大战，历时从1941年至1945年。美国损失，但已远在伊拉克其他地区相比重大冲突。

共和党总统候选人约翰麦凯恩支持目前的战争政策。他说，他将继续在伊拉克驻军，甚至一百年，如果必要的。联邦参议员马侃访问了伊拉克，在上周末与美国国会代表团。

路透社/佐格比民调本周建议均在民主党候选人将失去约翰麦凯恩在11月的大选。上个月，同时民调显示，马侃输给巴拉克奥巴马。

下个月，美国国会将获得另一项报告中关于战争，从美国大使瑞安克罗克和指挥一般大卫彼得雷乌斯。布什总统已经决定以后是否命令额外削减驻伊美军7月以后。

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语，写brianna布雷克。我史蒂夫Ember公司。