A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH - LISTENING COMPREHENSION, READING SKILLS, STOCK OF PERSONAL VOCABULARY AND, BY ALL MEANS, TO BROADEN YOUR POLITICAL OUTLOOK! PART 1. Interview with John McCain on the Global Conversation (Euronews; November 28th, 2014) Introduction. Who is John McCain? • John McCain followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather entering the US military. • He served in the Vietnam War and was held prisoner from 1967 – 1973 during which time he was brutally tortured. • After his release he went into politics and served as Republican Congressman and Senator for the state of Arizona. • In 2008 he was nominated by the Republican Party to stand against Barack Obama and lost the election. • Following the Republican’s recent midterm success he is expected to be appointed to the key defence policy post of Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Interview /// *Maverick is often the term used to describe American Senator John McCain (JMC), the famously straight-talking, no-nonsense politician who ran for the US Presidency in 2008, losing out to Barack Obama. Today he is still a political force to be reckoned with (считаться с (кем-л./чем-л.). Global Conversation presenter Isabelle Kumar (IK), spoke to him at the Halifax International Security Forum in Novia Scotia, Canada. (*Maverick - If you describe someone as a maverick, you mean that they are unconventional and independent, and do not think or behave in the same way as other people. (а) индивидуалист; независимый человек б) политик, не принадлежащий ни к одной из действующих партий в) диссидент)) IK In our part of the world you are still very much remembered for your 2008 presidential bid (попытка), six years later would you say that experience has been a hindrance (барьер, помеха, преграда, препятствие) or a help? JMC I think it was helpful that I ran for president of the United States, but I also have to say that after that election night I certainly didn’t think that the world would look like it does today. There’s been a drastic deterioration (ухудшение) of the security situation and certainly a profound diminution (уменьшение; снижение, спад) of American influence. IK We’ve asked our online audience to send in questions and one recurrent question is will you be standing again (for president)? JMC No IK Absolutely not? JMC No, I think twice is enough of a lesson from the voters IK Within the Republican Party there aren’t very many strong frontrunners, but if you were to name three contenders (соперник; претендент, кандидат), who you would throw your weight behind, who would they be? JMC I’m not going to throw my weight behind anyone until I see what kind of campaign they’re going to run, and all that, but clearly former Florida governor Jeb Bush is a very possible candidate. My dear friend Lyndsey Graham is also one of the most knowledgeable people on national security issues in America. Marco Rubio of Florida is a very impressive rising star. IK So, what do you think are the big issues this election is going to be fought on? JMC If it was six months ago we’d be talking about the economy, we’d be talking about energy – and we still are, off course – we’d be talking about healthcare. But now the issue of national security and foreign policy has gone up dramatically. I think this *ISIS, Muslim extremist, Islamic extremist movement is going to be with us for a long time so I think national security, foreign policy is going to be one of the two or three major issues in this upcoming presidential campaign. IK And on a lighter note we’ve received this question from Dom Lundo who asks: “Do you still dream of the White House?” JMC Do I still dream? No, no I don’t dream of the White House. The best cure for defeat is to get busy, and I went right back to the senate and got as busy as I possibly could. To have the honour of the nomination of my party for president was something, frankly, when I graduated fifth from the bottom of my class at the naval academy, that was certainly not anticipated by my company officer. IK And in terms of your choice of running mate (кандидат на пост вице-президента), obviously there was some controversy over that. Do you stick by your choice of having Sarah Palin as your running mate. JMC She energised our party, she energised our base, she move us up in the polls. She was fiercely attacked by the liberal left and that’s the way things are in American politics. But, still, the attacks on her were probably the most unfair thing I’ve seen in America politics. ======================================================== *ISIS - The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL /`aɪsəl/), also translated as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS /`aɪsɪs/), also known by the Arabic acronym Da`ish, and self-proclaimed as the Islamic State (IS), is a Sunni, extremist, jihadist rebel group controlling territory in Iraq, Syria, eastern Libya, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, parts of Pakistan, and parts of India. The United Nations has accused the group of human rights abuses, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing (этническая чистка (уничтожение или вытеснение из страны представителей каких-л. национальностей)) by the group on a historic scale. Its actions have been widely criticized around the world, with many Islamic communities judging the group to be unrepresentative of Islam. The group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. /// (to be continued)
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 18:06:24 +0000
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