《中英對照讀新聞》And the top 10 worst presidential blunders are... 十大最糟糕的總統錯誤是…

◎俞智敏

From engaging in sexual relations with an intern to letting the Vietnam War escalate, U.S. presidents have been blamed for some egregious errors.

從與實習生發生性關係到坐視越戰愈演愈烈，美國歷任總統被指責犯下一些令人震驚的錯誤。

So who had the worst blunder? President James Buchanan, for failing to avert the Civil War, according to a survey of presidential historians organized by the University of Louisville's McConnell Center.

那麼到底是誰犯下最糟糕的錯誤？布坎南總統名列第一，因為未能避免美國內戰發生，據路易斯維大學麥康納中心針對美國總統歷史學者所進行的調查顯示。

Scholars who participated said Buchanan did not do enough to oppose efforts by Southern states to secede from the Union before the Civil War.

參與這項調查的學者表示，布坎南總統在內戰爆發前未能盡力反對南方各州退出聯邦。

The second worst mistake, the survey found, was Andrew Johnson's decision just after the Civil War to side with Southern whites and oppose improvements in justice for Southern blacks beyond abolishing slavery.

調查中發現，排名第二的錯誤是強森總統在內戰結束後不久決定與南方各州白人站在同一陣線，在廢除奴隸制度之外，反對再改善南方黑人的司法權益。

Lyndon Johnson earned the No. 3 spot by allowing the Vietnam War to intensify.

詹森總統則因坐視越戰日益白熱化，而佔得第三名的位置。

Where does Bill Clinton's Monica Lewinsky scandal rank? Many scholars said it belonged at No. 10, saying that it probably affected Clinton's presidency more than it did American history and the public.

那麼柯林頓總統與李文斯基鬧出的醜聞又排在第幾名呢？許多學者認為應排在第十名，因為這項醜聞對柯林頓本人總統職權所造成的影響，遠大於對美國歷史及人民的影響。

新聞辭典

blunder：名詞，指大錯，亦可做動詞，如︰He has blundered again.（他又捅出樓子了。）或指笨拙（或欠考慮）地說出，如︰He blundered out a secret.（他無意中洩漏了秘密。）

egregious：非常的；震驚的；極壞的，如︰It was an egregious error for a statesman to show such ignorance.（政治人物如此無知，實在是個糟糕透頂的錯誤。）同義詞為flagrant。

escalate：逐步上升（增強或擴大）；或（戰事）逐步升高，如︰The hostilities in the Persian Gulf are escalating.（波斯灣的敵對情勢正逐漸升高。）

secede：正式退出、脫離（宗教、政黨或聯盟等），如︰One of the states has seceded from the federation.（有一州已退出聯邦。）