President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Rep. Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff drew fire Thursday from Republicans, and a few Democrats, who noted that a candidate elected on a call for change had turned to a veteran partisan pugilist for his first appointment.
美国当选总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)选择众议员伊曼纽尔(Rahm Emanuel)担任白宫办公厅主任的决定周四遭到共和党人和一些民主党人的批评，他们指出，以“改变”为竞选口号的奥巴马却在他的第一项人事任命上选择了一个党派色彩一贯浓厚的人。
Mr. Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, accepted the crucial position after 24 hours of weighing family obligations and concerns that he would be turning away from an extended career on Capitol Hill.
针对奥巴马的任命提议，身为众议院民主党党团会议主席的伊曼纽尔在对家庭责任和可能要告别连任的议员生涯的问题进行了24小时权衡之后，接受了这个关键职位。
'I announce this appointment first because the chief of staff is central to the ability of a president and administration to accomplish an agenda,' Mr. Obama said in a statement. 'And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel.'
奥巴马在一份声明中说，我最先宣布这项任命是因为，办公厅主任对总统和政府完成施政计划的能力将发挥核心作用。我所了解的人士当中没有人比伊曼纽尔能更好的担当此任。
For the second day since his election triumph, Mr. Obama remained out of sight, as he huddled with aides and advisers in Chicago, including Mr. Emanuel and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. He will break his silence with a news conference Friday, offering his first public statement since he claimed the presidency late on election night before more than 200,000 people in Chicago's Grant Park.
自从选举获胜后，奥巴马连续第二天没有露面。他正与副手和顾问们在芝加哥协商问题，包括伊曼纽尔和当选副总统拜登(Joe Biden)。周五他将打破沉默，举行新闻发布会并发表讲话。这将是他大选夜获胜之后在芝加哥格兰特公园的20多万民众面前发表当选感言之后的第一次公开演讲。
The Obama transition team also announced Thursday, in a joint statement with the White House, that Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, will meet President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush on Monday afternoon at the White House, a Washington debut for the president-elect.
奥巴马过渡团队周四在与白宫共同发表的声明中还宣布，奥巴马和妻子米歇尔将于周一下午在白宫与布什总统和夫人会面。这将是当选总统在华盛顿的首次露面。
Democratic colleagues largely hailed the choice, saying Mr. Emanuel will provide the muscle and savvy that the next president will need to institute his ambitious agenda. His service as a political aide in the Clinton White House, coupled with his deep legislative and political knowledge of Capitol Hill, should be a major help to Mr. Obama, they say.
民主党人对伊曼纽尔的任命大多表示欢迎，认为伊曼纽尔将为下届总统实施他的远大计划提供智慧和力量。他们认为，克林顿时期他曾在白宫担任助手，在国会的经历也赋予他丰富的法律和政治学识，这些对辅佐奥巴马非常有利。
But many Republicans had a much sharper reaction. The Republican National Committee called the choice Mr. Obama's first 'broken promise.' 'This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center,' said House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio).
但许多共和党人的反应要激烈的多。共和党全国委员会称，奥巴马的第一项任命就“违背了承诺”。众议院少数党领袖、共和党人博纳(John Boehner)说，对一个承诺要改变华盛顿、让政治更关注民众、以中间立场治理国家的当选总统来说，这个选择很有讽刺意味。
Some Democratic aides on Capitol Hill were similarly struck by the partisan nature of the appointment -- and even more so by the extended rollout. The Associated Press reported last week that Mr. Emanuel was likely to get the job, which he denied. By Wednesday, congressional sources were widely confirming he had been offered the job, but Emanuel aides said he hadn't accepted it.
国会的一些民主党人士同样也对这项任命的浓厚党派色彩感到意外，特别是对任命宣布时间的拖延感到吃惊。美联社(The Associated Press)上周曾报导说，伊曼纽尔可能会获得这个职位。但他否认了。本周三，国会消息人士普遍确认他已拿到任命，但伊曼纽尔的副手说他还没有接受任命。