第十一篇             

Will Hillary Be the Next American President?

Back in 1969, US President Richard Nixon confidently predicted: "In the next 50 years, we shall see a woman president, perhaps sooner than you think.¹”

Today, not too far off Nixon's deadline, America is looking at that possibility. Over the weekend, Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of former president Bill Clinton, announced her run for 2008 presidency.

US polls indicate that Americans feel comfortable with a female president. A New York Times survey found nearly all Americans saying they would vote for president if she were qualified.

However, accepting the theoretical notion of a female leader is quite different from voting an actual woman. In fact, there is still widespread distrust of a woman in the top position.

This is partly due to the biased thinking that women are weak on national security, though they might be strong on education and health care. This damages their prospects as a presidential contender.

"There's still an inherent nervousness on the part of voters putting a woman in as the ultimate decision-maker. Control of the army and border security are sorts of traditionally male jobs," commented Amy Walter, an American campaign analyst. “That's where I think voters consciously or unconsciously have difficulties with women candidates."

Women have held the top job in other major Western countries. In 1979, Britain elected Margaret Thatcher prime minister. Last year, Germany made Angela Merkel its first female chancellor.

In the US, no woman has succeeded in being nominated as a presidential candidate. One woman did make the attempt: Elizabeth Dole. In 1999, she tried to get the Republican Party nomination. But Dole could only raise $ 5 million for her bid - compared with the $ 56 million George W. Bush raised.

So Barriers lie ahead for Hillary if she wants to make history by becoming the first female US president. With the Iraqi war underway, she'll find it even harder.

"I don't feel that our society is ready for a woman president. The enemy we face does not respect females the same way we have come to see them as equals. If we were not in this war, I would support a woman president²,” said Chris Dildy, a computer engineering student.

词汇：

Bias v. & n. (有) 偏见

analyst n. 分析工作者

Chancellor n. (德国、奥地利等)总理

注释：

1.　"In the next 50 years, we shall see a woman president, perhaps sooner than you think."
在下一个五十年里，我们将会看见一个女总统，或许比我们想的要快些。

2.　If we were not in this war, I would support a woman president.
如果我们不在打一场战争，我会支持选一位女总统的。