今天看了中信出版社出版的乔治.W.布什自传《抉择时刻》DecisionPoints，书中布什以坦诚率直的口吻，详述了自己生命中14个重大抉择和决策。这本书具备畅销的一切要素，首先，他是影响2001-2009年国际局势的美国总统，在其任期美国战略因911发生急剧变化，影响深远；其次，知名人物的传记甚少由自己撰写，并跳出窠臼没有循例流水账式铺陈粉饰自己的感受，仅基于上述两点，就值得读者仔细研读。
布什选取戒除酒瘾、竞选总统、组建内阁、干细胞（生物伦理）、开火日（911）、战争状态、阿富汗、伊拉克、领导（内政：医疗保险、移民政策、社保改革、教育等）、卡特里娜飓风、拉撒路效应（非洲艾滋病救助）、增兵伊拉克、自由议程（外交政策和美国价值观推广）、金融危机十四个议题，说明自己如何从纷繁复杂的信息中（甚至是错误的信息中）梳理关键因素，如何分析判断取舍平衡，并出台种种对全球政治、经济、生活产生深远影响的`政策决策过程。上述14个抉择的大半内容集中在反恐战争，可以说布什总统两届任期的主要任务是针对恐怖主义，重新制定美国的对内对外政策。
今天回顾十年反恐历程发现，虽然美国在911后无论从物质、精神还是军事方面一度都显得很成功，迅速地取得伊拉克和阿富汗战争的胜利，恐怖主义实力基本粉碎，但战术的成功无法掩盖住战略上的重大失误。相比十年前，美国整体走向衰落：经济上危机四伏、国内政治分歧严重、国际影响力下滑、美国制度优势和价值观优势受到新兴国家的竞争和挑战等。这一切已客观地说明布什总统当初的抉择是否得当。从书中管中一窥，布什总统为反恐战争做出的是如下抉择：“我永远不会忘记那一天美国发生的事情。我会倾尽心血去保卫国家，不惜一切代价。”这也许就是失误的缘由吧，罔顾国家战略核心利益，全然不计后果的决策，短时可能捞取政治资本，但也为后来国力衰落埋下了主要伏笔。其次，总统的抉择似乎总是围绕着当前事件和固有沉疴，缺少对国家战略全面和整体的预期把握。随之而来的就是缺少长远规划和近期计划，总是讨论头疼医头脚疼医脚的对策性方案，往往还受到掣肘，要么胎死腹中，要么仅满足于法案的出台，没有随后的执行、分析和修正。诸如国家应该向何处去，反恐旗帜还要打多久等国家意识反而没有凝聚形成共识，这可能就是三权分立、选举政治制度的固有缺陷吧，强调权利的制衡、弱化权力的集中；强调多数人的保守意志、排斥创新的前瞻性政见；强调立竿见影的短期行为、规避长远的规划和发展...
这本书读过后总是让人掩卷深思，美国的政策制定对我们有什么借鉴和警示呢？......
一点浅见、拙见，在此抛砖引玉。
Thank you so much. Thank you all.
Well, this isn’t exactly the party I’d planned, but I sure like the company.
I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you – to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked and sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who emailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, “See, you can be anything you want to be.”
To the young people like 13 year-old Ann Riddle from Mayfield, Ohio who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World, and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her Mom and volunteer there as well. To the veterans and the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country and telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.
To all those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote who cast their votes for our campaign. I’ve told you before about Florence Steen of South Dakota, who was 88 years old, and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside. Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot. She passed away soon after, and under state law, her ballot didn’t count. But her daughter later told a reporter, “My dad’s an ornery old cowboy, and he didn’t like it when he heard mom’s vote wouldn’t be counted. I don’t think he had voted in 20 years. But he voted in place of my mom.”
To all those who voted for me, and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives and you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.
18 million of you from all walks of life – women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich, poor and middle class, gay and straight – you have stood strong with me. And I will continue to stand strong with you, every time, every place, and every way that I can. The dreams we share are worth fighting for.
Remember - we fought for the single mom with a young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, “I’m doing it all to better myself for her.” We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand, and asked me, “What are you going to do to make
sure I have health care?” and began to cry because even though she works three jobs, she can’t afford insurance. We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, “Take care of my buddies over there and then, will you please help take care of me?” We fought for all those who’ve lost jobs and health care, who can’t afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.
I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction: that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams. I’ve had every opportunity and blessing in my own life – and I want the same for all Americans. Until that day comes, you will always find me on the front lines of democracy – fighting for the future.
The way to continue our fight now – to accomplish the goals for which we stand – is to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.
Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run. I endorse him, and throw my full support behind him. And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.
I have served in the Senate with him for four years. I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months. I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates. I have had a front row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.
In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American Dream. As a community organizer, in the state senate, as a United States Senator - he has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized. And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.
Now when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House, and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity, and progress. And that's exactly what we're going to do by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.
I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight. The Democratic Party is a family, and it’s now time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.
We may have started on separate journeys – but today, our paths have merged. And we are all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around because so much is at stake.
We all want an economy that sustains the American Dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries and still have a little left over at the end of the month. An economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.
1.
2.2016年美国大选希拉里演讲稿
3.
4.
5.希拉里败选演讲稿（中英文对照）
6.希拉里竞选演讲稿全文
7.
8.
9.
2. 后来我读了很多的美国历史，以至于我都开始充满了白人罪恶感。(whiteguilt是指白人因为奴役黑人的历史而产生的负罪感。)
3. 但是玩笑归玩笑，我想让大家放心我今晚的确是受到邀请来的。(这里是隐指Salah夫妇闯入白宫欢迎晚宴的新闻)
4. 我相信我太太的英文确实不是很好，又一次她问我，那个英文单词CCTV怎么拼来着。
5. “什么是第二修正案?”我就想：“呃，莫非就是我们便利店遭到抢劫的原因?”(第二修正案保障了人民的持枪权利)
6. “Roevs.Wade是什么?”“呃!两种来美国的途径?”(Roevs.Wade是美最高法院关于堕胎的经典案例。他在这里则是说那些偷渡到美国的人，要不就是通过rowaboat(划船，和人名Roe同音)，要不就是靠游到河对岸(wade是跋涉的意思))
7. 我当时开了辆二手车，保险杠上贴了好多贴纸(就类似我们的“熊出没注意”那种)，贴的很牢，就根本不可能撕下来。其中一张写着“如果你不说英文，就滚回家去”。(，这句话有歧视外来移民的意味)而我两年后才看到它。
8. 我相信我的饭做得不错，因为吃过我的饭并活下来的人都这么说的。
9. 我们这里坐着很多杰出的新闻记者，我把你们看作是我的同行(也有贵族的意思)。因为我曾经也给学校的报纸写过文章。我觉得新闻业是双关语最后的阵地了。因为只有在报纸上你才能看到类似于“我是属马的，所以你知道为什么我总是像马一样叫(唱反调)。”(美国人形容马叫的象声词是neigh，发音和nay一样，nay-sayer是总要唱反调的人)我表达的很准确。
10. 和很多其他的移民一样，我们都希望自己的儿子能成为这个国家的总统。于是我们努力让他们说两种语言，在家说中文，在外说英文。但操作起来其实挺困难，很多时候我不得不在公共场合对他说：“嘿，听着，如果你不说英文，就滚回家去。”(这里说明了该句子是一种教训儿子的口气)
11. 我在中国长大。谁不是呢?(这是用自己的自大讽刺美国人的自大)
12. 嗨，大家好啊!嗨!那个……我能表演的时间不多，因为我绿卡马上要过期了。我是在中国的穷乡僻壤长大的。我们初中某年突然决定要修整土路，铺上砖头和水泥，让学生们带砖头到学校来……我们玩命地干了三个礼拜终于把路修好了。多年以后我听说了这个词：童工。我立马就惊讶了，啥?!那些小孩干活还有钱拿?
13. 美国总统经常被指责为过于软弱。但是他正指挥着两场战争，并且他们还是授予他诺贝尔和平奖。而他也竟然接受了。怎么可能有比这更操蛋的事情。嗯，其实，我想，唯一可能比这个更操蛋的，就是你接受了诺贝尔和平奖的奖金，然后把它们送给军队。
14. 我初到美国时，参加了英语培训课程。我们老师特别懒，记不住学生名字。于是他就给了我们一张美国名字表，让我们选名字。等我拿到表时，只剩下俩名字了，所以我就选了Joe。我选了Joe，另一个是Jake。有一天，我把这故事讲给我儿子听，他叫Jake。
15. 我很荣幸今晚能见到副总统JoeBiden。事实上，我曾经读过你的自传。今天见到你了，我觉得书(比本人)要好的多(然后镜头就给了副总统，副总统笑的哈开心)，他们应该请布拉德?皮特来演，或者是安吉丽娜?茱莉。
16. 而我童年的所有记忆都被我的童年给毁了。读小学的时候，作为课程的一部分，我要去稻田里劳动，稻田的旁边是一个采石场，他们用炸药炸石头。也就是在那里，我知道了光的传播速度要比声音快，而声音的速度就和石头飞的速度差不多慢。
17. 我24岁的时候来到美国，在Texas的RiceUniversity求学。这不是个笑话，不过现在是了。
18. “我是新移民，当年来美国后，我开着一辆旧车，车后保险杆上贴了不少标语贴纸，我都不懂，撕也撕不下来，我开了两年之后，才知道其中一张是‘如果你不懂英语，滚回去’。”
19. 我来美国是读大学，我很喜欢科学，这对我的感情生活也大有裨益。有一次，我约女孩子出去，她说不行。我问，真不行啊?她说，嘿，Joe，NO就是不行的意思。我说，NO也是一氧化氮啊。
20. 我相信女大十八变，越变越随便。
21. 我相信英国是欧洲最美丽的国家，尤其是巴黎。
22. “现在我车上贴了‘车内有婴儿’的标语，这可算是一种恐吓，因为有一个大哭的婴儿和唠叨的老婆，我再也不怕死了。”
23. 我相信人应该早睡早起，利用早晨的时间多做一些有意义的事情，比如睡个回笼觉。
24. 我拿到的只是D-。我看报道，如今的小孩都不会看手表了。他们只能看懂电子表。我心想，等他们长大以后该如何报告辣妹的位置啊?别人说，“辣妹在三点钟方向”。我不能待那么久的。
25. 然后他问我：“爸爸，为什么我要学两个语言呢?”我就跟他说：“儿子，一旦有一天你成了美国总统，你就必须要用英文来签署法案，还要用中文跟讨债的对话。”(中国当前是美国的最大债主。)
26. 2008年，我正式成为了美国公民，为此我感到很高兴。谢谢。美国是最牛的。这是真的，因为我们每年会赢世界职业棒球大赛(只有美国、加拿大的球队参加。)
27. 我相信健康的心态是快乐的基础，所以我从不体检。
28. 我儿子现在四岁，不过，他还远远不够成熟。有时，我看着儿子心想，哇哦，这小伙子对社会一点贡献都没有。但我还得装作他所作的事都很了不起。我说，哇哦，你自己走了半个街区?太棒了!其实我心想，这算啥啊!老子小时候修了条路!
29. 我在男人健康杂志里看到，美国总统每周有两次有氧锻炼，四次举重锻炼。你们看，我根本不需要锻炼，因为我有健康保险。(这里说医保体系给人慵懒意识)
30. 我爸爸是个脾气很怪的人，但偶尔他也想用笑话来逗我玩儿。可是他又做不好。我七岁的时候，有一天他问我，“嘿，儿子，你说为什么豆腐比社会主义计划经济要好?”(风马牛不相及)我想了五分钟，然后问他“为什么呢?”，他说“因为我说好就是好!”(笑点在于：豆腐，计划经济以及极端的父权。豆腐和经济放在一起本来就没有可比性，就好像这种“我说了算”的父权也根本不可理喻，让人又好气又好笑)
31. 成为美国公民之后，我立刻就登记了大选，并投给了拜登。(他回头看着拜登，对拜登说)不用谢。你们的口号“猜想我们可以”征服了我。这是他们的口号。(此处故意将“YesWeCan”混淆成了“GuessWeCan”。)
32. “我好不容易才获取公民资格，我得去上美国历史课，去回答谁是本杰明?富兰克林，我都只有啊…的份。去年，我儿子在美国出生，我抱着他，‘哇，你这小子一出生就已经是美国人了，我问你，你知道谁是富兰克林吗?’”
33. 今晚是我第一次出现在C-span频道，通常当我无法忍受PBS和QVC的鼓吹与煽动时我就会看这个频道(PBS的节目以主观着称，QVC则是购物频道)。如果我看了C-span还是睡不着，那还有C-span2套和3套(C-span频道是国会辩论转播频道)。非常感谢!
34. 有一年，我去新奥尔良参加狂欢节。对于我，你们要了解一点，我是不赞同公共场合赤身裸体的。不过要是真有人这么干了，那我不能错过啊。
