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美国历任总统的功与过
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/06/24 10:32  北京青年报


作为一个选民,我是不是变得更聪明一点了?

  Cartoonist Pat Oliphant is no friend of George W. Bush, but before we construe this as a mark of Democratic sympathies, let's take a look at how he treated earlier presidents. Today's cartoon makes that easy: in it, Oliphant reviews the presidents since 1969 and seems to imply that they all, Republicans and Democrats alike, share the blame for the current occupant of the Oval Office.

  First in the line-up is Republican Richard Nixon (1969-74), a goblin with a five o'clock shadow①and a frown of perpetual suspicion. His resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal led to the presidency of Gerald Ford, who had already been chosen to replace a disgraced VICE president. Ford, a former congressman from Michigan, had been a power in the House of Representatives, but his political base as president never grew enough for him to win reelection. Ford's widely decried pardon of Nixon, for which many voters have still not forgiven him, ushered a Democrat into the White House: Georgia governor Jimmy Carter. Oliphant came to loathe Carter, whom he regarded as not up to the presidency: hence the dwarfish caricature.

  The reaction to the weak Carter opened the White House to onetime Hollywood B-film actor and later California governor Ronald Reagan, the darling of the Republican right. "Ron" gave America "George I", i.e. George HW Bush, whom Oliphant lampooned almost as fiercely as he had Nixon. The reaction to Bush's management of the economy was the elevation of Arkansas governor William Clinton, whose dalliance with Monica Lewinski in turn helped to elect George W. Bush. The economy flourished mightily during the Clinton years, and this should have been enough to secure election for Bill's vice president, Al Gore. Oliphant blames Clinton's sexual follies and mendacity for George II, whom he regularly portrays as a little boy in a cowboy hat.

  To judge by the mildness of the caricature, Oliphant seems to think most highly of Ronald Reagan among recent presidents. This cannot be because he loves Republican right-wingers, however -- otherwise he would portray George W. Bush more flatteringly. One senses that what he admires above all in presidents is the competent use of power.

漫画家评点美国历任总统功与过(图)

  漫画家派特·奥列芬特绝不是布什总统的朋友,但是在我们将此解释为这是他赞同民主党的标志之前,让我们看看他是如何看待以前几届总统的。今天的漫画让我们很容易明白他的态度:在漫画中,奥列芬特回顾了自1969年以来的几任总统,他似乎是在暗示,无论这些总统是共和党人还是民主党人,似乎都对当今占据椭圆形办公室的主人负有责任。

  队列中左起第一个是共和党人尼克松(1969-1974任总统),他有着新长出的短髭,皱着眉头怀疑一切,像个丑妖。他在水门事件后辞了职,导致福特担任了总统,此前福特已被任命接替名声扫地的副总统。福特,这位来自密歇根州的前国会议员,虽说已经在众院中很有影响力,但他作为总统的政治基础从未提升到足以使他连任的地步。由于他那备受谴责的对尼克松的赦免(对此很多选民至今都不能原谅),使得一位民主党人———佐治亚州州长卡特入主白宫。奥列芬特后来渐渐讨厌卡特,认为他当总统不够格,因此将他画成了一个小侏儒。

  卡特的软弱所带来的后果是使白宫大门向前好莱坞二流影星及后来的加州州长里根敞开,里根是共和党右翼的宠儿。此后里根让美国有了“乔治一世”即老布什,奥利芬特对老布什讽刺的激烈程度如同对尼克松一样。老布什对经济方面的管理不力又提升了阿肯色州州长克林顿的地位,使其入主白宫,而克林顿与莱温斯基的调情反过来又帮助了小布什获选。在克林顿执政期间,经济极为繁荣,这本足可以保证克林顿的副总统戈尔当选总统。奥列芬特将“乔治二世”(小布什)上台归咎于克林顿的性丑闻与撒谎;而奥列芬特向来是把小布什画成一个戴牛仔帽的男孩。

  通过对讽刺性漫画形象的温和度来判断,在最近的几位总统中奥列芬特似乎对里根的评价最高,然而这并非是因为他喜欢共和党右翼,否则他就应该把小布什画得更正面一些。可以看出,奥列芬特最欣赏的总统所具有的素质是能够胜任总统权力。




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