Good afternoon, everybody. I know you are all eager to skip town and spend some time with your families. Not surprisingly, I am, too. But you know what they say -- it's the most wonderful press conference of the year -- right now. I am eager to take your questions, but first, I just want to say a few words about our economy. 大家下午好。我知道各位都急着离开华盛顿，陪陪家人。想必不用说，我也一样。不过俗话说得好，现在正是今年最精彩的一场记者会。我很想回答各位的问题，但首先想谈谈我们的经济。
In 2013, our businesses created another 2 million jobs, adding up to more than 8 million in just over the past 45 months. This morning, we learned that over the summer, our economy grew at its strongest pace in nearly two years. The unemployment rate has steadily fallen to its lowest point in five years. Our tax code is fairer, and our fiscal situation is firmer, with deficits that are now less than half of what they were when I took office. 2013年，美国企业又创造了200万个就业岗位，使过去短短45个多月新增就业总数超过800万个。今天上午我们得知，夏季经济增速达到近两年来的最高水平。失业率稳步下降，降至五年来最低点。我们的税制更加公平，财政状况更加稳健，赤字如今还不到我上任时的一半。
For the first time in nearly two decades, we now produce more oil here at home than we buy from the rest of the world, and our all-of-the-above strategy for new American energy means lower energy costs. The Affordable Care Act has helped keep health care costs growing at their slowest rate in 50 years. Combined, that means bigger paychecks for middle-class families and bigger savings for businesses looking to invest and hire here in America. 近20年来，我们首次在国内生产出比从世界其他地方购买的还多的石油。我们在新能源方面采取全面发展的战略，也使能源成本下降。《平价医疗法案》帮助医疗费用增速降至50年来最低水平。这些因素加在一起，意味着中产阶级家庭的工资收入增加，准备在美国投资和招聘的企业也能节省更多成本。
And for all the challenges we've had and all the challenges that we've been working on diligently in dealing with both the ACA and the website these past couple months, more than half a million Americans have enrolled through healthcare.gov in the first three weeks of December alone. In California, for example, a state operating its own marketplace, more than 15,000 Americans are enrolling every single day. And in the federal website, tens of thousands are enrolling every single day. 过去几个月，落实《平价医疗法案》和修复网站遇到种种难题，我们始终努力处理。尽管如此，仅在12月的头三周，就有超过50万美国人通过医疗保险网站投保。以自行运营保险市场的加利福尼亚州为例，每天都有超过1.5万人登记投保；联邦网站每天也有数万人投保。
Since October 1st, more than one million Americans have selected new health insurance plans through the federal and state marketplaces. So, all told, millions of Americans, despite the problems with the website, are now poised to be covered by quality, affordable health insurance come New Year's Day. Now, this holiday season, there are mothers and fathers and entrepreneurs and workers who have something new to celebrate -- the security of knowing that when the unexpected or misfortune strikes, hardship no longer has to. 自10月1日以来，超过100万美国人通过联邦和州保险市场选择了新的医疗保险计划。所以总体而言，尽管网站存在问题，数百万美国人已准备好从新年元旦起获得优质、负担得起的医疗保险。在这个节日季，许多母亲、父亲、创业者和劳动者有了新的理由庆祝：他们知道，即使遭遇意外或不幸，也不必因此陷入困境。这份保障给他们带来了安心。
And you add that all up and what it means is we head into next year with an economy that's stronger than it was when we started the year. More Americans are finding work and experiencing the pride of a paycheck. Our businesses are positioned for new growth and new jobs. And I firmly believe that 2014 can be a breakthrough year for America. But as I outlined in detail earlier this month, we all know there's a lot more that we're going to have to do to restore opportunity and broad-based growth for every American. And that's going to require some action. 把这些进展综合起来，意味着我们迈入新年时的经济比今年年初更强劲。更多美国人找到了工作，体会到靠劳动领取薪水的自豪。我们的企业有条件实现新的增长、创造新的岗位。我坚信，2014年能够成为美国取得突破的一年。但正如我本月早些时候详细阐述的，我们都知道，要让每一位美国人获得机会、让经济增长惠及更广泛的人群，还有许多工作要做。这需要我们采取行动。
It's a good start that earlier this week, for the first time in years, both parties in both houses of Congress came together to pass a budget. That unwinds some of the damaging sequester cuts that created headwinds for our economy. It clears the path for businesses and for investments that we need to strengthen our middle class, like education and scientific research. And it means that the American people won't be exposed to the threat of another reckless shutdown every few months. So that's a good thing. 本周早些时候，国会两院的两党议员多年来首次共同通过预算，这是一个好的开端。预算撤销了一部分损害经济的自动减支，减轻了经济面临的阻力。它为企业发展和我们强化中产阶级所需的教育、科研等投资扫清了道路，也意味着美国人民不必每隔几个月就面临又一次鲁莽的政府停摆威胁。这是好事。
It's probably too early to declare an outbreak of bipartisanship. But it's also fair to say that we're not condemned to endless gridlock. There are areas where we can work together. 现在宣称两党合作蔚然成风或许还为时过早，但说我们并非注定永远陷于僵局也是公允的。我们有能够合作的领域。
I believe that work should begin with something that Republicans in Congress should have done before leaving town this week, and that's restoring the temporary insurance that helps folks make ends meet when they are looking for a job. Because Congress didn't act, more than one million of their constituents will lose a vital economic lifeline at Christmastime, leaving a lot of job-seekers without any source of income at all. 我认为，合作应从一件共和党国会议员本周离开华盛顿前本该完成的事开始：恢复帮助求职者维持生计的临时失业保险。由于国会没有行动，超过100万选民将在圣诞节期间失去至关重要的经济支撑，许多求职者将完全没有收入来源。
I think we're a better country than that. We don't abandon each other when times are tough. Keep in mind unemployment insurance only goes to folks who are actively looking for work -- a mom who needs help feeding her kids when she sends out her resumes, or a dad who needs help paying the rent while working part-time and still earning the skills he needs for that new job. So when Congress comes back to work, their first order of business should be making this right. I know a bipartisan group is working on a three-month extension of this insurance. 我认为，我们的国家应当做得更好。困难时期，我们不会抛下彼此。请记住，失业保险只发给积极求职的人：比如一位投递简历时需要帮助养育孩子的母亲，或一位一边做兼职、一边学习新工作所需技能、还要支付房租的父亲。因此，国会复会后的第一件事就应该是纠正这个错误。我知道，一个跨党派小组正在推动将这项保险延长三个月。
They should pass it, and I'll sign it right away. 他们应该通过这项议案，我会立即签署。
Let me repeat: I think 2014 needs to be a year of action. We've got work to do to create more good jobs, to help more Americans earn the skills and education they need to do those jobs and to make sure that those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families build a little bit of financial security. We still have the task of finishing the fix on our broken immigration system. 我要再说一遍：2014年应当是采取行动的一年。我们要创造更多好工作，帮助更多美国人获得胜任这些工作所需的技能和教育，并确保这些工作提供的工资与福利能让家庭建立起一些经济保障。我们还要完成对失灵移民制度的改革。
We've got to build on the progress we've painstakingly made over these last five years with respect to our economy and offer the middle class and all those who are looking to join the middle class a better opportunity, and that's going to be where I focus all of my efforts in the year ahead. 过去五年，我们在经济方面取得了来之不易的进展；我们必须在此基础上继续前进，给中产阶级以及希望加入中产阶级的人更好的机会。来年，我会把全部精力放在这里。
And let me conclude by saying just as we're strengthening our position here at home, we're also standing up for our interests around the world. This year, we've demonstrated that with clear-eyed, principled diplomacy, we can pursue new paths to a world that's more secure -- a future where Iran does not build a nuclear weapon; a future where Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles are destroyed. By the end of next year, the war in Afghanistan will be over, just as we've ended our war in Iraq, and we'll continue to bring our troops home. 最后我想说，在增强国内实力的同时，我们也在世界各地维护自身利益。今年，我们已经证明，通过清醒而坚持原则的外交，我们可以探索通往更安全世界的新道路：让伊朗不制造核武器，让叙利亚的化学武器库存得到销毁。正如我们结束了伊拉克战争，到明年年底，阿富汗战争也将结束，我们将继续把部队带回家。
And, as always, we will remain vigilant to protect our homeland and our personnel overseas from terrorist attacks. 一如既往，我们会保持警惕，保护国土和驻外人员免遭恐怖袭击。
Of course, a lot of our men and women in uniform are still overseas, and a lot of them are still spending their Christmas far away from their family and their friends, and in some cases, are still in harm's way. So I want to close by saying to them and their families back home, we want to thank you. Your country stands united in supporting you and being grateful for your service and your sacrifice. We will keep you in our thoughts and in our prayers during this season of hope. 当然，我们仍有许多军人在海外，其中许多人仍要远离家人朋友过圣诞节，有些人甚至仍身处险境。因此，结束发言前，我想对他们以及国内的家人说：谢谢你们。全国人民团结一致支持你们，感谢你们的服役和牺牲。在这个充满希望的季节，我们会一直惦念你们，为你们祈祷。
So, before I wish a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night, I will take some questions. Jay prepared a list of who's naughty and nice -- so we'll see who made it. 那么，在向大家祝愿圣诞快乐、晚安之前，我先回答几个问题。杰伊准备了一份“乖孩子和淘气孩子”的名单，我们来看看谁上了名单。
Julie must be nice. Julie Pace. 朱莉一定是乖孩子。朱莉·佩斯。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Despite all of the data points that you cited in your opening statement, when you look back at this year, very little of the domestic agenda that you outlined in your inaugural address and your State of the Union have been achieved. Health care rollout obviously had huge problems and your ratings from the public are near historic lows for you. When you take this altogether, has this been the worst year of your presidency? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。尽管您在开场讲话中列举了这些数据，回顾今年，您在就职演说和国情咨文中提出的国内议程几乎没有多少得以实现。医疗改革的推出显然出了大问题，公众对您的支持率也接近您任内的历史低点。综合来看，这是不是您担任总统以来最糟糕的一年？
President Obama: I've got to tell you, Julie, that's not how I think about it. I have now been in office five years -- close to five years -- was running for President for two years before that, and for those of you who've covered me during that time, we have had ups and we have had downs. I think this room has probably recorded at least 15 near-death experiences. And what I've been focused on each and every day is are we moving the ball in helping the American people -- families -- have more opportunity, have a little more security to feel as if, if they work hard, they can get ahead. 奥巴马总统：朱莉，我得告诉你，我不是这样看问题的。我担任总统已经将近五年，此前又花了两年竞选总统。过去这些年一直报道我的各位知道，我们有过高峰，也有过低谷。我想，这间屋子里的人至少记录过十五次所谓的“濒死经历”。而我每天关注的是：我们是否在帮助美国人民和他们的家庭向前迈进，让他们获得更多机会、多一点安全感，相信只要努力工作就能取得进步。
And if I look at this past year, there are areas where there obviously have been some frustrations, where I wish Congress had moved more aggressively. Not passing background checks in the wake of Newtown is something that I continue to believe was a mistake. But then I also look at because of the debate that occurred, all the work that's been done at state levels to increase gun safety and to make sure that we don't see tragedies like that happen again. 回顾过去一年，有些方面显然令人沮丧，我希望国会行动能更积极。纽敦枪击事件之后未能通过购枪背景审查法案，我至今仍认为是一个错误。但我也看到，正因为展开了那场辩论，各州为加强枪支安全、确保类似悲剧不再发生做了许多工作。
There's a lot of focus on legislative activity at the congressional level, but even when Congress doesn't move on things they should move on, there are a whole bunch of things that we're still doing. So we don't always get attention for it, but the ConnectEd program that we announced where we're going to be initiating wireless capacity in every classroom in America will make a huge difference for kids all across this country, and for teachers. 人们很关注国会的立法活动，但即使国会没有在本该行动的事项上采取行动，我们仍在做许多事。这些事未必总受到关注。比如，我们宣布的“互联教育”计划，将为美国每间教室提供无线网络接入能力；这会给全国的孩子和教师带来巨大改变。
A manufacturing hub that we set up in Youngstown, something that I talked about during the State of the Union, is going to create innovation and connect universities, manufacturers, job training to help create a renaissance -- build on the renaissance that we're seeing in manufacturing. 我们在扬斯敦建立的制造业中心——我在国情咨文中谈过它——将推动创新，把大学、制造商和职业培训联系起来，帮助制造业在现有复兴势头上继续发展。
When it comes to energy, this year is going to be the first year in a very long time where we're producing more oil and natural gas here in this country than we're importing. That's a big deal. 在能源方面，今年将是很长时间以来，我们国内石油和天然气产量首次超过进口量的一年。这意义重大。
So I understand the point that you're getting at, Julie, which is that a lot of our legislative initiatives in Congress have not moved forward as rapidly as I'd like. I completely understand that, which means that I'm going to keep at it. And if you look at, for example, immigration reform, probably the biggest thing that I wanted to get done this year, we saw progress. It passed the Senate with a strong bipartisan vote. 朱莉，我明白你的意思：我们在国会提出的许多立法倡议没有像我希望的那样迅速推进。我完全理解这一点，因此我会继续努力。以移民改革为例，这大概是我今年最想完成的一件事，我们取得了进展。它在参议院获得两党的有力支持并通过。
There are indications in the House that even though it did not get completed this year that there is a commitment on the part of the Speaker to try to move forward legislation early next year. And the fact that it didn't hit the timeline that I'd prefer is obviously frustrating but it's not something that I end up brooding a lot about. 众议院也有迹象表明，虽然今年未能完成立法，议长仍有意在明年年初推动相关法案。它没有按我希望的时间表完成，当然令人沮丧，但我不会一直为此耿耿于怀。
Q: But, sir, it's not just your legislative agenda. When you look at polling and you talk to Americans, they seem to have lost confidence in you, trust in you. Your credibility has taken a hit. Obviously the health care law was a big part of that. So do you understand that the public has changed in some way their view of you over this year? 提问：可是，总统先生，问题不仅是您的立法议程。从民调和与美国人的交谈来看，他们似乎失去了对您的信心和信任。您的信誉受到了损害，医疗改革法案显然是重要原因。您是否理解，今年公众对您的看法在某种程度上已经改变？
President Obama: But, Julie, I guess what I'm saying is if you're measuring this by polls, my polls have gone up and down a lot through the course of my career. I mean, if I was interested in polling, I wouldn't have run for President. I was polling at 70 percent when I was in the U.S. Senate. I took this job to deliver for the American people. And I knew and will continue to know that there are going to be ups and downs on it. 奥巴马总统：可是朱莉，我想说的是，如果用民调衡量，我从政以来的支持率已经起起落落很多次。我的意思是，如果我在乎民调，我就不会竞选总统了。我担任联邦参议员时，支持率是百分之七十。我接受这份工作，是为了给美国人民办成事。我当时就知道，现在也仍然知道，过程中一定会有起伏。
You're right, the health care website problems were a source of great frustration. I think in the last press conference I adequately discussed my frustrations on those. On the other hand, since that time I now have a couple million people, maybe more, who are going to have health care on January 1st. And that is a big deal. That's why I ran for this office. 你说得对，医疗保险网站的问题非常令人沮丧。我想，上次记者会上我已经充分谈过对此的失望。另一方面，从那以后，已有几百万人，也许更多，将在1月1日获得医疗保险。这是件大事。这正是我竞选总统的原因。
And as long as I've got an opportunity every single day to make sure that in ways large and small I'm creating greater opportunity for people -- more kids are able to go to school, get the education they need; more families are able to stabilize their finances; the housing market is continuing to improve; people feel like their wages maybe are inching up a little bit -- if those things are happening, I'll take it. And I've said before, I've run my last political race. 只要我每天还有机会通过大大小小的努力为人们创造更多机会——让更多孩子能够上学、获得所需教育，让更多家庭稳定财务状况，让住房市场持续改善，让人们感到工资或许在一点点上涨——只要这些事在发生，我就愿意继续做。我以前说过，我已经参加完自己最后一次政治选举。
So at this point, my goal every single day is just to make sure that I can look back and say we're delivering something -- not everything, because this is a long haul. 因此，到了现在，我每天的目标只是确保回头看时能说，我们确实做成了一些事。不是所有事，因为这是一段漫长的旅程。
Mark Felsenthal. 马克·费尔森塔尔。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. One of the most significant events of this year was the revelation of the surveillance by the National Security Agency. As you review how to rein in the National Security Agency, a federal judge said that, for example, the government had failed to cite a single instance in which analysis of the NSA's bulk metadata actually stopped an imminent attack. Are you able to identify any specific examples when it did so? Are you convinced that the collection of that data is useful to national security and should continue as it is? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。今年最重大的事件之一，是国家安全局监控活动遭到曝光。在您审视如何约束国家安全局时，一名联邦法官指出，例如，政府未能举出哪怕一例，通过分析国家安全局批量收集的元数据阻止了迫在眉睫袭击的实例。您能指出任何具体案例吗？您是否确信收集这些数据有助于国家安全，并应按现行方式继续？
President Obama: Let me talk more broadly, and then I'll talk specifically about the program you're referring to. 奥巴马总统：我先从更广的层面谈起，再具体谈你提到的项目。
As you know, the independent panel that I put together came back with a series of recommendations, 46 in total. I had an extensive meeting with them down in the Situation Room to review all the recommendations that they had made. I want to thank them publicly, because I think they did an excellent job and took my charge very seriously, 大家知道，我组建的独立小组提出了一系列建议，共有46项。我在战情室与小组成员开了很长的会，审阅他们提出的所有建议。我要公开感谢他们，因为我认为他们做得非常出色，认真对待了我交给他们的任务：
which is I told them I want you to look from top to bottom at what we're doing and evaluate whether or not the current structures that we have and the current programs that we have are properly addressing both our continuing need to keep ourselves secure and to prevent terrorist attacks, or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or other threats to the homeland, and are we also making sure that we're taking seriously rule of law and our concerns about privacy and civil liberties. 我要求他们全面审视我们所做的工作，评估现有机构安排和项目是否既恰当地满足我们持续保障安全、防止恐怖袭击、大规模杀伤性武器扩散及其他国土威胁的需要，又认真对待法治，以及我们对隐私和公民自由的关切。
So what we're doing now is evaluating all the recommendations that have been made. Over the next several weeks, I'm going to assess based on conversations not just with the intelligence community but others in government and outside of government how we might apply and incorporate their recommendations. 我们现在正在评估提出的所有建议。未来几周，我会与情报界、政府其他部门以及政府外部人士交谈，判断如何应用并吸纳这些建议。
And I'm going to make a pretty definitive statement about all of this in January where I'll be able to say, here are the recommendations that we think make sense; here are ones that we think are promising but still need to be refined further; here's how it relates to the work we're doing not just internally but also in partnership with other countries. And so I'm taking this very seriously because I think, as I've said before, this is a debate that needed to be had. 到一月，我会就这一切作出相当明确的说明：哪些建议我们认为可行，哪些看起来有前景、但仍需进一步完善，以及这些建议如何与我们内部和同其他国家合作开展的工作相联系。我非常认真地对待这件事，因为正如我以前所说，这场辩论本就应该展开。
One specific program, the 215 program, is the metadata, the bulk collection of phone numbers and exchanges that have taken place that has probably gotten the most attention, at least with respect to domestic audiences. And what I've said in the past continues to be the case, which is that the NSA, in executing this program, believed, based on experiences from 9/11, that it was important for us to be able to track if there was a phone number of a known terrorist outside of the United States calling into the United States, where that call might have gone, 其中一个具体项目，即第215条项目，是有关电话号码及通话往来的元数据批量收集；至少在国内公众看来，它可能受到最多关注。我过去说过的情况至今依然成立：国家安全局实施这一项目时，依据九一一事件的经验，认为如果一名身在美国境外的已知恐怖分子拨打美国境内的电话，我们必须能够追踪这通电话最终打到了哪里；
and that having that data in one place and retained for a certain period of time allowed them to be confident in pursuing various investigations of terrorist threats. 把这些数据集中保存一段时间，使他们能够更有把握地开展各种恐怖威胁调查。
And I think it's important to note that in all the reviews of this program that have been done, in fact, there have not been actual instances where it's been alleged that the NSA in some ways acted inappropriately in the use of this data. But what is also clear is from the public debate, people are concerned about the prospect, the possibility of abuse. And I think that's what the judge and the district court suggested. And although his opinion obviously differs from rulings on the FISA Court, we're taking those into account. 我认为，必须指出的是，关于这一项目的历次审查中，事实上没有出现国家安全局被指控不当使用这些数据的具体实例。但公众讨论也清楚表明，人们担心的是滥用的前景与可能性。我认为，地区法院的法官所指出的正是这一点。虽然他的意见显然与外国情报监视法院的裁决不同，我们仍在考虑这些意见。
The question we're going to have to ask is can we accomplish the same goals that this program is intended to accomplish in ways that give the public more confidence that, in fact, the NSA is doing what it's supposed to be doing. I have confidence in the fact that the NSA is not engaging in domestic surveillance or snooping around, but I also recognize that as technologies change and people can start running algorithms and programs that map out all the information that we're downloading on a daily basis into our telephones and our computers, 我们必须问的是，能否以让公众更加相信国家安全局确实在恪尽职守的方式，实现这个项目原本要实现的目标。我相信国家安全局没有对国内民众开展监控或窥探。但我也认识到，随着技术变化，人们可以运行算法和程序，绘制出我们每天通过手机、电脑下载的所有信息之间的关系，
that we may have to refine this further to give people more confidence. And I'm going to be working very hard on doing that. 我们可能需要进一步完善做法，让人们更有信心。我会努力推进这件事。
And we've got to provide more confidence to the international community. In some ways, what has been more challenging is the fact that we do have a lot of laws and checks and balances and safeguards and audits when it comes to making sure that the NSA and other intelligence agencies are not spying on Americans. We've had less legal constraint in terms of what we're doing internationally. 我们也必须增强国际社会的信心。从某种意义上说，更棘手的是：为了确保国家安全局和其他情报机构不监视美国人，我们已经有许多法律、制衡机制、保障措施和审计程序；但在国际活动方面，法律约束较少。
But I think part of what's been interesting about this whole exercise is recognizing that in a virtual world, some of these boundaries don't matter anymore, and just because we can do something doesn't mean we necessarily should. And the values that we've got as Americans are ones that we have to be willing to apply beyond our borders I think perhaps more systematically than we've done in the past. 我认为，这整个过程中的一个有意思的认识是：在虚拟世界，有些边界已经不再起作用；能做某件事，并不意味着一定应该去做。作为美国人，我们所秉持的价值观，也应比过去更系统地应用于国界之外。
Okay? Ed Henry. 好吗？埃德·亨利。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. I want to follow up on that because -- and merry Christmas, by the way. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。我想就刚才的话题追问一下。顺便祝您圣诞快乐。
President Obama: Merry Christmas to you. 奥巴马总统：也祝你圣诞快乐。
Q: When Edward Snowden first started leaking the information, you made a statement on June 7th in California, and you claimed to the American people that you had already reformed many of these surveillance programs. You said you came into office -- "my team evaluated them, we scrubbed them thoroughly, we actually expanded some of the oversight," and you did expand some of it. 提问：爱德华·斯诺登刚开始泄露信息时，您6月7日在加利福尼亚州发表声明，向美国人民表示您已经改革了许多监控项目。您说，您上任后，“我的团队评估了这些项目，进行了彻底审查，还扩大了某些监督”；您的确扩大了其中一部分监督。
President Obama: Yes. 奥巴马总统：是的。
Q: You also said we may have to rebalance some, there may be changes. But you concluded with, "You can complain about Big Brother and how this is a potential program run amok. But when you actually look at the details, then I think we've struck the right balance." That was only six months ago. Now this judge is saying no, your own panel is saying no, even you're saying no, we haven't really struck the right balance perhaps, that changes have to be made. 提问：您还说，我们可能需要重新调整平衡，可能需要作出改变。但最后您说：“你可以抱怨‘老大哥’，说这个项目可能失控。但认真看过细节后，我认为我们已经找到了恰当的平衡。”那才是六个月前。现在，这名法官说没有达到平衡，您自己的小组也这样说，甚至您自己也说可能没有真正达到平衡，需要作出改变。
My question is: Were you wrong then because you were not fully read in not just on these programs but on other programs outside of the ones you just talked about, where we were potentially listening in on the German leaders, the Brazilian leaders and others, that suggest there were abuses? Number one. 我的问题是：您当时是不是错了？是不是因为您没有充分了解这些项目，也不了解您刚才提及项目以外的其他项目——例如我们可能监听了德国领导人、巴西领导人等，显示存在滥权行为？这是第一个问题。
And number two, if you were fully read in on these programs, is it another example of what Julie was getting at with this question of credibility with the American people, that just like on health care, "you like your plan, you can keep it"? On surveillance, you looked the American people in the eye six months ago and said, "We've got the right balance," and six months later you're saying maybe not. 第二，如果您当时充分了解这些项目，这是否又是朱莉所说的、涉及美国人民对您信任的一个例子？就像医疗改革时您说“如果你喜欢自己的保险计划，就可以保留”一样，在监控问题上，您六个月前直视美国人民，说“我们找到了恰当的平衡”，六个月后却又说可能没有。
President Obama: Well, hold on a second, Ed. I think it's important to note that when it comes to the right balance on surveillance, these are a series of judgment calls that we're making every single day, because we've got a whole bunch of folks whose job it is to make sure that the American people are protected. 奥巴马总统：埃德，等一下。我认为要指出，监控领域所谓恰当的平衡，涉及我们每天都要作出的一系列判断。我们有许多人负责确保美国人民的安全。
And that's a hard job, because if something slips, then the question that's coming from you the next day at a press conference is, "Mr. President, why didn't you catch that? Why did the intelligence people allow that to slip? Isn't there a way that we could have found out that in fact this terrorist attack took place?" 这份工作很难，因为如果漏掉了什么，第二天你在记者会上就会问我：“总统先生，为什么你们没发现？情报人员怎么会让它漏过去？难道没有办法预先发现那场恐怖袭击会发生吗？”
Q : So why were you so -- why did you say we struck the right balance? 提问：那您为什么如此——为什么说已经找到了恰当的平衡？
President Obama: So the point is, Ed, not that my assessment of the 215 program has changed in terms of technically how it works. What is absolutely clear to me is that given the public debate that's taken place and the disclosures that have taken place over the last several months, that this is only going to work if the American people have confidence and trust. 奥巴马总统：所以，埃德，关键不是我对第215条项目技术运作方式的评估发生了改变。我非常清楚的是，考虑到过去几个月发生的公开辩论和信息披露，只有美国人民对这个项目有信心、有信任，它才能继续发挥作用。
Now, part of the challenge is, is that because of the manner in which these disclosures took place, in dribs and drabs, oftentimes shaded in a particular way, and because of some of the constraints that we've had in terms of declassifying information and getting it out there, that that trust in how many safeguards exist and how these programs are run has been diminished. So what's going to be important is to build that back up. And I take that into account in weighing how we structure these programs. 难点的一部分在于，这些信息是一点一点泄露出来的，呈现方式常常带有特定倾向；再加上我们在解密和公布信息方面受到一些限制，人们对现有保障措施的数量，以及这些项目如何运行的信任已经减弱。因此，重要的是重建这种信任。我在权衡如何设计这些项目时，会把这一点考虑进去。
So let me just be very specific on the 215 program. It is possible, for example, that some of the same information that the intelligence community feels is required to keep people safe can be obtained by having the private phone companies keep these records longer and to create some mechanism where they can be accessed in an effective fashion. 具体说说第215条项目。例如，情报界认为保护民众安全所必需的一些信息，也许可以通过让私人电话公司更长时间保存这些记录，并建立有效调取机制来获得。
That might cost more. There might need to be different checks on how those requests are made. There may be technological solutions that have to be found to do that. And the question that we're asking ourselves now is, does that make sense not only because of the fact that there are concerns about potential abuse down the road with the metadata that's being kept by a government rather than private companies, but also does it make sense to do it because people right now are concerned that maybe their phone calls are being listened to, even if they're not? And we've got to factor that in. 这可能花费更多，调取记录的请求也可能需要不同的审查措施，还可能需要寻找技术方案。我们现在要问的是：这样做是否合理？不仅因为由政府而非私人公司保存元数据，令人担心将来可能遭到滥用；也因为人们现在担心自己的电话可能被监听，即使事实并非如此，改用这种方式是否仍然有意义？我们必须将这种担忧纳入考量。
So my point is, is that the environment has changed in ways that I think require us to take that into account. But the analysis that I've been doing throughout has always been periodically looking at what we're doing and asking ourselves, are we doing this in the right way? Are we making sure that we're keeping the American people safe, number one? Are we also being true to our civil liberties and our privacy and our values? 我的意思是，环境已经发生了变化，我认为我们必须考虑这些变化。但我始终定期审视我们正在做的事，并问自己：方式对不对？第一，我们是否确保了美国人民的安全？同时，我们是否忠于公民自由、隐私以及自身的价值观？
Q: I understand it's a tough job, and, God forbid, there's another terror attack, every one of us is going to be second-guessing you, and that is extremely difficult to be in the Oval Office. 提问：我知道这份工作很艰难。上帝保佑不要再发生恐怖袭击，否则我们每个人都会事后质疑您；坐在椭圆形办公室里承受这种压力，确实极为不易。
President Obama: That's okay. I volunteered. 奥巴马总统：没关系，是我自愿承担的。
Q: But as you said, you took that on. 提问：但正如您所说，这是您自己承担的。
President Obama: Yes. 奥巴马总统：是的。
Q: You put it on your back. And so my question is do you have any personal regrets? You're not addressing the fact the public statements you've made to reassure the public -- your Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, months ago went up, got a question from a Democrat, not a Republican, about whether some of this was going on, and he denied it. Doesn't that undermine the public trust? 提问：您把责任扛在了肩上。所以我想问，您个人有没有任何遗憾？您没有回答自己为安抚公众而发表的公开声明。几个月前，您的国家情报总监詹姆斯·克拉珀在国会接受一名民主党人——不是共和党人——询问，是否存在某些这类活动时，他否认了。这难道不会损害公众信任吗？
President Obama: Ed, you're conflating, first of all, me and Mr. Clapper -- 奥巴马总统：埃德，首先，你把我和克拉珀先生混为一谈了——
Q: He's the Director of National -- he's still on the job. 提问：他是国家情报总监——现在仍在任职。
President Obama: I understand. But what I'm saying is this, that, yes, these are tough problems that I am glad to have the privilege of tackling. Your initial question was whether the statements that I made six months ago are ones that I don't stand by. And what I'm saying is, is that the statements I made then are entirely consistent with the statements that I make now, which is that we believed that we had scrubbed these programs and struck an appropriate balance, 奥巴马总统：我明白。但我要说的是，没错，这些问题很棘手，我很荣幸有机会处理它们。你最初问的是，我是否不再坚持六个月前发表的那些言论。我说的是，当时的话与我现在说的完全一致：我们相信已经对这些项目进行了彻底审查，并找到了适当的平衡；
and there had not been evidence and there continues not to be evidence that the particular program had been abused in how it was used, and that it was a useful tool, working with other tools that the intelligence community has, to ensure that if we have a thread on a potential terrorist threat, that that can be followed effectively. 当时没有证据，现在仍没有证据表明，这个具体项目在使用过程中遭到滥用。它与情报界的其他工具配合，是一种有用的工具，能够确保一旦发现潜在恐怖威胁的线索，就可以有效追查。
What I've also said, though, is that in light of the disclosures that have taken place, it is clear that whatever benefits the configuration of this particular program may have may be outweighed by the concerns that people have on its potential abuse. And if that's the case, there may be another way of skinning the cat. 但我也说过，鉴于已经披露的信息，这一项目现行架构可能带来的好处，显然可能抵不过人们对其被滥用的担忧。若果真如此，我们也许可以换一种方式达到目的。
So we just keep on going at this stuff and saying, can we do this better? Can we do this more effectively? I think that the panel's recommendations are consistent with that. So if you had a chance to read the overall recommendations, what they were very clear about is we need this intelligence. We can't unilaterally disarm. There are ways we can do it potentially that gives people greater assurance that there are checks and balances, that there's sufficient oversight, sufficient transparency. 所以，我们要不断追问：能不能做得更好？能不能做得更有效？我认为独立小组的建议与此一致。如果你读过全部建议，就会知道他们说得很清楚：我们需要这些情报，不能单方面放弃情报能力。我们或许可以用其他方法获取情报，同时让人们更确信其中有制衡机制、充分监督和足够透明度。
Programs like 215 could be redesigned in ways that give you the same information when you need it without creating these potentials for abuse. 像第215条项目这样的计划可以重新设计，在需要信息时仍能获得同样的信息，同时避免产生那些滥用的可能。
And that's exactly what we should be doing, is to evaluate all these things in a very clear, specific way, and moving forward on changes. And that's what I intend to do. 我们理应做的，正是清楚、具体地评估所有这些事项，然后推进改革。这也是我打算做的事。
Q: So you have no regrets? You have no regrets? 提问：所以您没有遗憾？一点遗憾也没有？
President Obama: That's what I intend to do. 奥巴马总统：这就是我打算做的事。
Jon Karl. 乔恩·卡尔。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. It's been a tough year. You may not want to call it the worst year of your presidency, but it's clearly been a tough year. The polls have gone up and down, but they are at a low point right now. So what I'm asking you -- you've acknowledged the difficulties with the health care rollout. But when you look back and you look at the decisions that you have made and what you did, what you didn't do, for you personally, what do you think has been your biggest mistake? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。这一年很艰难。您可能不愿称它为任内最糟的一年，但显然很艰难。民调支持率有升有降，而现在处于低点。所以我想问您：您已经承认医疗改革推出时存在问题。但回顾过去，审视您作出的决定、做了什么和没做什么，对您个人而言，最大的错误是什么？
President Obama: With respect to health care, specifically, or just generally? 奥巴马总统：你是专指医疗改革，还是泛指所有事情？
Q: The whole thing, back at this tough year. President Obama: Well, there's no doubt that when it came to the health care rollout, even though I was meeting every other week or every three weeks with folks and emphasizing how important it was that consumers had a good experience, an easy experience in getting the information they need, and knowing what the choices and options were for them to be able to get high-quality, affordable health care, the fact is it didn't happen in the first month, the first six weeks, in a way that was at all acceptable. 提问：所有事情，回顾这艰难的一年。奥巴马总统：嗯，毫无疑问，在推出医疗改革时，虽然我每两三周就与有关人员开会，强调消费者必须能够轻松、顺利地获得所需信息，了解有哪些选择，从而获得优质、负担得起的医疗保障，但事实是，头一个月、前六周的情况完全不能接受。
And since I'm in charge, obviously we screwed it up. 既然由我负责，显然是我们把事情搞砸了。
Part of it, as I've said before, had to do with how IT procurement generally is done, and it almost predates this year. Part of it, obviously, has to do with the fact that there were not clear enough lines of authority in terms of who was in charge of the technology and cracking the whip on a whole bunch of contractors. So there were a whole bunch of things that we've been taking a look at, and I'm going to be making appropriate adjustments once we get through this year and we've gotten through the initial surge of people who've been signing up. 正如我先前说过的，部分原因是信息技术采购的一般做法，而这个问题几乎早于今年就已存在。另一部分原因显然在于，负责技术工作和督促众多承包商的人究竟是谁，权责线不够清晰。我们一直在审视许多问题。等这一年过去、首批大量报名者完成登记后，我会作出适当调整。
But having said all that, bottom line also is, is that we've got several million people who are going to have health care that works. And it's not that I don't engage in a lot of self-reflection here. I promise you, I probably beat myself up even worse than you or Ed Henry does on any given day. But I've also got to wake up in the morning and make sure that I do better the next day, and that we keep moving forward. 话虽如此，归根结底，也将有几百万人获得真正管用的医疗保障。这并不是说我没有认真反省。我向你保证，我在任何一天对自己的苛责，恐怕比你或埃德·亨利对我的批评还严厉。但第二天早上我仍要起床，确保自己做得更好，让我们继续前进。
And when I look at the landscape for next year, what I say to myself is, we're poised to do really good things. The economy is stronger than it has been in a very long time. Our next challenge then is to make sure that everybody benefits from that, not just a few folks. And there are still too many people who haven't seen a raise and are still feeling financially insecure. We can get immigration reform done. We've got a concept that has bipartisan support. Let's see if we can break through the politics on this. 展望明年，我告诉自己，我们已经准备好做出真正有益的事。经济比很长时间以来都更强劲。接下来的挑战是确保每个人，而非少数人，从中受益。仍有太多人没有加薪，仍感到经济上缺乏保障。我们可以完成移民改革，现有方案得到两党支持。让我们看看能否突破政治阻力。
I think that, hopefully, folks have learned their lesson in terms of brinksmanship, coming out of the government shutdown. There have been times where I thought about, were there other ways that I could have prevented those three, four weeks that hampered the economy and hurt individual families who were not getting a paycheck during that time -- absolutely. 经历政府停摆之后，我希望大家已经吸取了在最后关头以相互要挟博弈的教训。我有时也会想：我是否本可用其他办法防止那三四周的停摆？它拖累经济，伤害了那段时间领不到薪水的家庭。这样的反思当然有。
But I also think that, in some ways, given the pattern that we had been going through with House Republicans for a while, we might have needed just a little bit of a bracing sort of recognition that this is not what the American people think is acceptable. They want us to try to solve problems and be practical, even if we can't get everything done. 但我也认为，考虑到我们与众议院共和党人一段时间以来形成的互动模式，或许我们需要一次令人警醒的认识：美国人民认为这样做不可接受。他们希望我们努力解决问题，务实行事，即使不能办成每一件事。
So the end of the year is always a good time to reflect and see what can you do better next year. That's how I intend to approach it. I'm sure that I will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun. 年终总是反思的好时机，看看来年能做得更好的是什么。我打算以这种态度面对新一年。我相信，睡上几天好觉、晒晒太阳之后，我会有更好的想法。
Brianna. 布丽安娜。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. On the debt ceiling, your Treasury Secretary has estimated that the U.S. government will lose its ability to pay its bills come late February or early March. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has said that "Republicans are going to decide what it is they can accomplish on this debt limit fight" -- his words. Will you negotiate with House Republicans on the debt ceiling? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。关于债务上限，您的财政部长估计，美国政府到二月下旬或三月上旬将失去支付账单的能力。众议院预算委员会主席保罗·瑞安说，“共和党人将决定，在这场债务上限之争中能够争取到什么成果”；这是他的原话。您会就债务上限与众议院共和党人谈判吗？
President Obama: Oh, Brianna, you know the answer to this question. No, we're not going to negotiate for Congress to pay bills that it has accrued. 奥巴马总统：哦，布丽安娜，你知道这个问题的答案。不会。我们不会为了让国会支付自己已经欠下的账单而谈判。
Here's the good news -- I want to emphasize the positive as we enter into this holiday season. I think Congressman Ryan and Senator Murray did a good job in trying to narrow the differences and actually pass a budget that I can sign. It's not everything that I would like, obviously. It buys back part of these across-the-board cuts, the so-called sequester, but not all of them. So we're still underfunding research; we're still underfunding education; we're still underfunding transportation and other initiatives that would create jobs right now. 好消息是——在节日期间，我想强调积极的一面。我认为瑞安众议员和默里参议员努力缩小分歧，确实通过了一份我可以签署的预算，做得很好。显然，这份预算并未满足我所有愿望。它撤销了一部分所谓“自动减支”的全面削减，却没有撤销全部。因此，我们仍然没有为科研、教育、交通及其他现在就能创造就业的举措提供足够资金。
But it was an honest conversation. They operated in good faith. And given how far apart the parties have been on fiscal issues, they should take pride in what they did. And I actually called them after they struck the deal and I said congratulations, and I hope that creates a good pattern for next year, where we work on at least the things we agree to, even if we agree to disagree on some of the other big-ticket items. 但双方进行了坦诚的对话，真诚地合作。鉴于两党在财政问题上的分歧一直如此之大，他们应当为取得的成果感到自豪。达成协议后，我还致电祝贺他们。我希望这为明年树立好的模式：至少在我们意见一致的事项上合作，即使在其他重大问题上只能保留分歧。
I think immigration potentially falls in that category, where let's -- here's an area where we've got bipartisan agreement. There are a few differences here and there, but the truth of the matter is, is that the Senate bill has the main components of comprehensive immigration reform that would boost our economy, give us an opportunity to attract more investment and high-skilled workers who are doing great things in places like Silicon Valley and around the country. So let's go ahead and get that done. 我认为移民改革也可能属于这一类。我们在这一领域存在跨党派共识。这里那里虽有一些差异，但事实上，参议院法案具备全面移民改革的主要内容，能够推动经济发展，使我们有机会吸引更多投资和高技能劳动者；这些人正在硅谷和全国各地创造出色成果。因此，让我们把这件事办成。
Now, I can't imagine that having seen this possible daylight breaking when it comes to cooperation in Congress that folks are thinking actually about plunging us back into the kinds of brinksmanship and governance by crisis that has done us so much harm over the last couple of years. 既然国会合作似乎已经露出一线曙光，我无法想象还会有人想让我们重新陷入过去几年给国家造成巨大伤害的极限施压和危机式治理。
To repeat: The debt ceiling is raised simply to pay bills that we have already accrued. It is not something that is a negotiating tool. It's not leverage. It's the responsibility of Congress. It's part of doing their job. I expect them to do their job. Although I'm happy to talk to them about any of the issues that they actually want to get done. So if Congressman Ryan is interested in tax reform, let's go. I've got some proposals on it. 我再说一遍：提高债务上限，只是为了支付我们已经欠下的账单。它不应成为谈判工具，不是可用来施压的筹码。这是国会的责任，是他们分内的工作。我期待他们履行职责。不过，只要他们真想推进其他议题，我愿意与他们讨论。如果瑞安众议员对税制改革感兴趣，那就开始吧，我有相关提案。
If he's interested in any issue out there, I'm willing to have a constructive conversation of the sort that we just had in resolving the budget issues. But I've got to assume folks aren't crazy enough to start that thing all over again. 如果他对任何其他议题有兴趣，我愿意像刚才解决预算问题那样开展建设性对话。但我必须相信，大家不会疯狂到重新上演那一幕。
Q: If I may just quickly, on a more personal note, what is your New Year's resolution? 提问：如果可以，我很快问个更私人的问题：您的新年计划是什么？
President Obama: My New Year's resolution is to be nicer to the White House Press Corps. You know? Absolutely. 奥巴马总统：我的新年计划是对驻白宫记者团更友善。怎么样？绝对如此。
Q: All right. 提问：好吧。
President Obama: Major Garrett. 奥巴马总统：梅杰·加勒特。
Q: That's quite a lead-in, Mr. President, thank you. Rick Leggett, who is the head of the NSA task force on Edward Snowden, told "60 Minutes" that it was, "worth having a conversation about granting Edward Snowden amnesty." To what degree, sir, were you pleased that he floated this trial balloon? And under what circumstances would you consider either a plea agreement or amnesty for Edward Snowden? 提问：总统先生，您这个开场可真是别具一格，谢谢。国家安全局负责爱德华·斯诺登专案小组的里克·莱格特在《60分钟》节目中说，“值得讨论是否赦免爱德华·斯诺登”。先生，他放出这个试探性说法，您在多大程度上感到满意？在什么情况下，您会考虑与斯诺登达成认罪协议，或赦免他？
And what do you say to Americans, sir, who after possibly being alerted to Judge Leon's decision earlier this week, reading the panel recommendations, do you believe Edward Snowden set in motion something that is proper and just in this country about the scope of surveillance and should not be considered by this government a criminal? 另外，对于本周早些时候可能获悉莱昂法官裁决、又读过独立小组建议的美国人，您想对他们说什么？您是否认为爱德华·斯诺登促使本国就监控范围展开了一场正当、公正的进程，因此政府不应把他视为罪犯？
President Obama: I've got to be careful here, Major, because Mr. Snowden is under indictment, he's been charged with crimes. And that's the province of the Attorney General and, ultimately, a judge and a jury. So I can't weigh in specifically on this case at this point. I'll make -- I'll try to see if I can get at the spirit of the question, even if I can't talk about the specifics. 奥巴马总统：梅杰，我在这里必须谨慎，因为斯诺登先生已被起诉，受到刑事指控。这属于司法部长，最终属于法官和陪审团的职权范围。因此，现阶段我不能对这一具体案件发表意见。我会尽力回应问题的核心，即使不能谈论具体案情。
I've said before and I believe that this is an important conversation that we needed to have. I've also said before that the way in which these disclosures happened have been damaging to the United States and damaging to our intelligence capabilities. And I think that there was a way for us to have this conversation without that damage. 我以前说过，也相信我们需要进行这场重要的对话。但我也说过，这些信息披露的方式损害了美国，也损害了我们的情报能力。我认为，我们本可以在不造成这种损害的情况下展开讨论。
I'll give you just one specific example. The fact of the matter is that the United States, for all our warts, is a country that abides by rule of law, that cares deeply about privacy, that cares about civil liberties, that cares about our Constitution. 我只举一个具体例子。事实上，美国虽然有种种缺点，却是一个遵守法治、非常重视隐私、公民自由和宪法的国家。
And as a consequence of these disclosures, we've got countries who actually do the things that Mr. Snowden says he's worried about very explicitly -- engaging in surveillance of their own citizens, targeting political dissidents, targeting and suppressing the press -- who somehow are able to sit on the sidelines and act as if it's the United States that has problems when it comes to surveillance and intelligence operations. And that's a pretty distorted view of what's going on out there. 由于这些信息被披露，如今一些国家——它们实际上在做斯诺登先生所明确担忧的事情：监控本国公民，针对政治异见者，以及打压新闻媒体——却可以袖手旁观，仿佛在监控和情报活动方面有问题的是美国。这是对现实的严重扭曲。
So I think that as important and as necessary as this debate has been, it is also important to keep in mind that this has done unnecessary damage to U.S. intelligence capabilities and U.S. diplomacy. But I will leave it up to the courts and the Attorney General to weigh in publicly on the specifics of Mr. Snowden's case. 因此，我认为，这场辩论固然重要且必要，我们也必须记住，这些披露给美国情报能力和外交工作造成了不必要的损害。至于斯诺登先生案件的具体问题，我会交由法院和司法部长公开回应。
Q: Sir, if I could follow up, Mr. Leggett is setting this in motion, at least raising this as a topic of conversation. You, sir, would I'm certain be consulted if there was ever going to be a conversation about amnesty or a plea bargain with Edward Snowden. 提问：先生，我想追问。莱格特先生已推动这件事，至少提出了这个讨论话题。我相信，如果真的要讨论赦免斯诺登或与他达成认罪协议，一定会征询您的意见。
President Obama: I think that's true, Major, and I guess what I'm saying is there's a -- 奥巴马总统：梅杰，我想确实如此。我的意思是，这里存在一个——
Q: Would you rule it out forever that you would never consider it? 提问：您能否排除这种可能，永远不会考虑赦免或认罪协议？
President Obama: What I'm saying is, is that there's a difference between Mr. Leggett saying something and President Obama of the United States saying something. 奥巴马总统：我要说的是，莱格特先生发表意见，与美国总统奥巴马发表意见，是两回事。
Q: That's why I'm trying to get at you. 提问：所以我才要问您。
President Obama: That's exactly right. 奥巴马总统：正是如此。
Chuck Todd. 查克·托德。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. You talk about the issues with health care and the website rollout, but there have been other issues -- the misinformation about people keeping their policies, the extended deadlines, some postponements. We have a new waiver that HHS announced last night. How do you expect Americans to have confidence and certainty in this law if you keep changing it? This one here, this new waiver last night, you could argue you might as well have just delayed the mandate. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。祝您圣诞快乐、新年快乐。您谈到了医疗改革和网站推出的问题，但还有其他问题：关于民众能否保留原有保单的错误信息、期限一再延长、某些事项推迟执行。卫生与公众服务部昨晚又宣布了一项新的豁免。法律总在变化，您如何期待美国人对它有信心、有确定感？昨晚这项新豁免，甚至可以说等同于推迟了强制投保要求。
President Obama: Well, no, that's not true, because what we're talking about is a very specific population that received cancellation notices from insurance companies. The majority of them are either keeping their old plan because the grandfather clause has been extended further, or they're finding a better deal in the marketplace with better insurance for cheaper costs. 奥巴马总统：不，事实并非如此，因为我们讨论的是一群特定的人：收到保险公司取消保单通知的人。其中多数人要么因为祖父条款进一步延长而保留旧计划，要么在新保险市场找到保障更好、费用更低的方案。
But there may still be a subset -- a significantly smaller subset than some of the numbers that have been advertised -- that are still looking for options, are still concerned about what they're going to be doing next year. And we just wanted to make sure that the hardship provision that was already existing in the law would also potentially apply to somebody who had problems during this transition period. So that's the specifics of this latest change. 但可能仍有一小部分人——人数比宣传中的某些数字小得多——还在寻找选择，仍担忧明年怎么办。我们只是想确保，法律中本来就有的困难豁免条款，也可能适用于在这段过渡期遇到问题的人。这就是最新调整的具体内容。
You're making a broader point that I think is fair and that is that in a big project like this, that what we are constantly doing is looking, is this working the way it's supposed to, and if there are adjustments that can be made to smooth out the transition, we should make them. But they don't go to the core of the law. 你提出了一个更广泛、我认为合理的问题：对这样一个大型项目，我们要不断审视它是否按预期运作。如果可以通过调整使过渡更加顺畅，我们就应该调整。但这些调整没有触及法律的核心。
First of all, the core of the law is, is that for 85 percent of the population, all they've been getting is free preventive care, better consumer protections, and ability to keep their kids on their insurance plan until they're 26, thousand-dollar or five hundred-dollar discounts on prescription drugs for seniors on Medicare. So 85 percent of the population, whether they know it or not, over the last three years have benefited from a whole set of the provisions of the law. 首先，对百分之八十五的人口而言，这部法律带来的是免费预防性医疗、更好的消费者保护、子女在二十六岁前可以继续留在父母的保险计划中，以及享有联邦医疗保险的老年人在处方药上获得一千美元或五百美元的减免。过去三年里，百分之八十五的人口，无论自己是否意识到，都受益于法律的一系列条款。
And, by the way, if it were to be repealed, you would be taking away all those benefits from folks who already are enjoying them. 顺便说一句，如果废除这部法律，就等于剥夺已经享受这些好处的人现有的权益。
You had this sub-portion of the population, 15 percent, who either don't have health insurance or are buying it on the individual market. And that's still millions of people. And what we're doing is creating a marketplace where they can buy insurance and we can provide them some tax credits to help them afford it. 还有百分之十五的人，要么没有医疗保险，要么在个人市场购买保险。那仍是数以百万计的人。我们正在为他们建立一个可以购买保险的市场，并提供一些税收抵免，帮助他们负担费用。
The basic structure of that law is working despite all the problems -- despite the website problems, despite the messaging problems. Despite all that, it's working. And again, you don't have to take my word for it. We've got a couple million people who are going to have health insurance just in the first three months, despite the fact that probably the first month and a half was lost because of problems with the website and about as bad a bunch of publicity as you could imagine. And yet you've still got 2 million people who signed up, or more. 尽管存在种种问题——网站的问题、信息传达的问题——这部法律的基本架构仍在发挥作用。尽管如此，它仍然管用。再说一次，你们不必只听我说。头三个月就会有几百万人获得医疗保险，虽然网站故障可能让我们损失了头一个半月，而且有关它的负面报道几乎糟到了极点。即便如此，仍有两百万人，甚至更多，登记投保。
And so what that means then is that the demand is there and, as I said before, the product is good. Now, in putting something like this together, there are going to be all kinds of problems that crop up, some of which may have been unanticipated. And what we've been trying to do is just respond to them in a common-sense way. And we're going to continue to try to do that. But that doesn't negate the fact that a year from now or two years from now, when we look back, we're going to be able to say that even more people have health insurance who didn't have it before. 这意味着需求确实存在；正如我之前所说，产品也不错。建立这样一套制度，难免出现各种问题，有些可能事先没有预料到。我们一直努力以合乎常理的方式回应，今后也会继续这样做。但这改变不了一个事实：一年或两年后回头看，我们将能够说，更多原本没有医疗保险的人获得了保障。
And that's not a bad thing, that's a good thing. That is part of the reason why I pushed so hard to get this law done in the first place. 这不是坏事，而是好事。这也是我当初如此努力推动这部法律通过的部分原因。
And I've said before this is a messy process, and I think sometimes when I say that people say, well, A, yes, it's real messy; and B, isn't the fact that it's been so messy some indication that there are more fundamental problems with the law? And I guess what I'd say to that, Chuck, is when you try to do something this big, affecting this many people, it's going to be hard. 我以前说过，这是一个不那么整洁的过程。有时我这样说，人们会回答：第一，没错，确实很乱；第二，如此混乱难道不说明法律本身有更根本的问题吗？查克，对此我想说，当你试图做一件规模如此之大、影响如此之多人的事时，过程必然艰难。
And every instance -- whether it's Social Security, Medicare, the prescription drug plan under President Bush -- there hasn't been an instance where you tried to really have an impact on the American people's lives and wellbeing, particularly in the health care arena, where you don't end up having some of these challenges. The question is going to be ultimately, do we make good decisions trying to help as many people as possible in as efficient a way as possible. And I think that's what we're doing. 无论是社会保障、联邦医疗保险，还是布什总统任内的处方药计划，每次你试图切实影响美国人的生活和福祉，尤其在医疗保健领域，都会遇到类似挑战。最终的问题在于，我们是否作出好的决定，以尽可能高效的方式帮助尽可能多的人。我认为我们正在这样做。
Q: But with 72 hours to go, you make this change where people are buying the junk -- frankly, a junk-type policy that you weren't -- you were trying to get people away from. 提问：但距离期限只剩七十二小时，您却作出这项改变，让人们购买那些垃圾——坦率说是垃圾般的保单，而这本是您要引导他们摆脱的。
President Obama: Well, keep in mind, Chuck, first of all, that the majority of folks are going to have different options. This is essentially a additional net in case folks might have slipped through the cracks. We don't have precision on those numbers, but we expect it's going to be a relatively small number, because these are folks who want insurance and the vast majority of them have good options. And in a state like North Carolina, for example, the overwhelming majority of them have just kept their own plans -- the ones that they had previously. 奥巴马总统：查克，首先请记住，多数人还有其他选择。这基本上是一张额外的安全网，以防有人从制度的缝隙中漏下。我们没有精确的人数，但预计人数会相对较少，因为这些人想要保险，其中绝大多数有不错的选择。比如在北卡罗来纳州，绝大多数人只是保留了原来的保险计划。
But we thought and continue to think that it makes sense that as we are transitioning to a system in which insurance standards are higher, people don't have unpleasant surprises because they thought they had insurance until they hit a limit, and next thing you know they still owe $100,000 or $200,000 or $300,000 for a hospital visit -- that as we transition to higher standards, better insurance, that we also address folks who get caught in that transition and there are unintended consequences. 但我们当时认为、现在仍认为：在过渡到保险标准更高的制度时，我们要避免人们遇到令人不快的意外——以为自己有保险，直到触及赔付上限，才发现一次住院仍欠十万、二十万或三十万美元。向更高标准、更好的保险过渡时，也必须照顾到过渡中受影响、遭遇意外后果的人。
And I'll be -- that was the original intent of the grandfather clause that was in the law. Obviously, the problem was it didn't catch enough people. And we learned from that, and we're trying not to repeat those mistakes. 而我想说——这正是法律中祖父条款的初衷。显然，问题在于它覆盖的人不够多。我们从中吸取了教训，正努力避免重蹈覆辙。
Q: So does the mandate need to be enforced? 提问：所以必须执行强制投保规定吗？
President Obama: Absolutely. Yes. 奥巴马总统：绝对要。是的。
Let's see, Phil Mattingly. 让我看看，菲尔·马丁利。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. What was the message you were trying to send with not only your decision not to attend the Sochi Games, but also with the people you named to the delegation to represent the United States at those games? 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。您决定不出席索契奥运会，又指定了这些人代表美国参加奥运会，您想借此传递什么信息？
President Obama: Well, first of all, I haven't attended Olympics in the past, and I suspect that me attending the Olympics, particularly at a time when we've got all the other stuff that people have been talking about, is going to be tough, although I would love to do it. I'll be going to a lot of Olympic Games post-presidency. I think the delegation speaks for itself. You've got outstanding Americans, outstanding athletes, people who will represent us extraordinarily well. 奥巴马总统：首先，我过去也没出席过奥运会。我想，以目前大家谈论的其他种种事务，出席奥运会对我来说会很困难，尽管我很乐意去。卸任后，我会参加很多届奥运会。我认为代表团的阵容已经说明了一切：成员都是杰出的美国人、杰出的运动员，他们会出色地代表我们。
And the fact that we've got folks like Billie Jean King or Brian Boitano, who themselves have been world-class athletes that everybody acknowledges for their excellence but also for their character, who also happen to be members of the LGBT community, you should take that for what it's worth -- that when it comes to the Olympics and athletic performance, we don't make distinctions on the basis of sexual orientation. We judge people on how they perform, both on the court and off the court -- on the field and off the field. 代表团中有比利·简·金和布赖恩·博伊塔诺这样的人，他们是举世公认的世界级运动员，不仅成绩卓越，品格也令人钦佩，同时恰好是性少数群体的一员。你们可以从中看到我们的态度：谈到奥运会和体育表现，我们不会因性取向而区别对待。我们依据人们在赛场内外的表现来评价他们。
And that's a value that I think is at the heart of not just America, but American sports. 我认为，这一价值观不仅处于美国的核心，也处于美国体育精神的核心。
I'm going to just roll down these last few, real quickly. Ari Shapiro. Last day at the White House. He deserves a question. 接下来几位，我会很快逐一提问。阿里·夏皮罗。今天是他在白宫的最后一天，他应该有机会提问。
Q: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Senator Max Baucus was widely seen as the best hope for a large-scale deal to overhaul the tax code. What does your decision to nominate him as ambassador to China say about your hopes for major tax bill in your second term? 提问：非常感谢您，总统先生。马克斯·鲍卡斯参议员被广泛认为是达成大规模税制改革协议的最大希望。您决定提名他担任驻华大使，这对您在第二任期通过重大税收法案的期望意味着什么？
President Obama: It says that Max Baucus is going to be an outstanding ambassador to China, and I'd like a swift confirmation. And my expectation and hope is, is that if both the Senate Democrats -- or if Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate are serious about tax reform, then it's not going to depend on one guy, it's going to depend on all of us working together. 奥巴马总统：这意味着马克斯·鲍卡斯会是一位出色的驻华大使，我希望他能尽快获得确认。我期待也希望，如果参众两院的民主党人——或者说，如果参众两院的民主党和共和党人认真对待税制改革，这件事就不会取决于某一个人，而取决于我们所有人的共同努力。
And my office is ready, willing, and eager to engage both parties and having a conversation about how we can simplify the tax code, make it fairer, make it work to create more jobs and do right by middle-class Americans. 我的团队已经准备好，也愿意、渴望与两党接触，共同讨论如何简化税法，使它更公平、更有利于创造就业，并善待美国中产阶级。
Jackie Calmes. 杰姬·卡尔姆斯。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. And how do you say it in Hawaii? Mele Kalikimaka? President Obama: Mele Kalikimaka. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。在夏威夷怎么说来着？“梅勒·卡利基马卡”？奥巴马总统：“梅勒·卡利基马卡”。
Q: Since we've been looking back at the year, I'd like to ask you what your reaction was to the nonpartisan truth-telling group, PolitiFact , when it said that the lie of the year was your statement that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it . 提问：既然我们在回顾这一年，我想问问您的反应：无党派事实核查组织“政客事实”把您所说“如果你喜欢自己的医疗保险计划，就可以保留它”评为年度谎言，您怎么看？
And related to the health care problems that we've seen over the past year, the fallout from that seems to be making Democrats, particularly in the Senate, a little rambunctious and independent of you, which is evidenced most clearly in the debate over the Iran sanctions. It looks like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has expedited consideration of an Iran sanctions bill for January, even as your Administration -- and you have been trying to get them to lay off sanctions while your -- 与过去一年看到的医疗改革问题有关的是，这些问题引发的后果似乎让民主党人，尤其是参议院的民主党人，有点躁动，开始独立于您采取行动；伊朗制裁问题的辩论最清楚地体现了这一点。参议院多数党领袖哈里·里德似乎已经加快审议一项伊朗制裁法案，准备在一月讨论，尽管您的政府和您本人一直试图劝他们暂缓制裁，而您的——
President Obama: Jackie, I've got to say, you're stringing a bunch of things along here. Let's see if we can hone in on a question. I mean, I -- 奥巴马总统：杰姬，我得说，你把好多件事串到一起了。让我们看看能否把问题说得更具体些。我的意思是，我——
Q: Two questions. That's a lot less than Ed Henry had. 提问：两个问题。这比埃德·亨利问的少多了。
Q: Oh! I thought we were trying to get along for Christmas. 提问：哦！我还以为我们要在圣诞节期间和睦相处呢。
President Obama: How about I separate out the Iran question from the health care question? On the health care question, look, I think I've answered several times -- this is a new iteration of it -- but bottom line is that we are going to continue to work every single day to make sure that implementation of the health care law and the website and all elements of it, including the grandfather clause, work better every single day. 奥巴马总统：要不我把伊朗问题和医疗问题分开回答？先说医疗问题。听着，我想我已经回答过好几次了——这只是同一个问题的新问法。但归根结底，我们每天都会继续努力，确保医疗法案的实施、网站及其所有环节，包括祖父条款，一天比一天运作得更好。
And as I've said in previous press conferences, we're going to make mistakes, and we're going to have problems, but my intentions have been clear throughout, which is, I just want to help as many people as possible feel secure and make sure that they don't go broke when they get sick. And we're going to just keep on doing that. 正如我在以前的记者会上说过的，我们会犯错，也会遇到问题。但我的初衷始终清楚：我只想帮助尽可能多的人获得安全感，确保他们不会因病破产。我们会继续为此努力。
On Iran, there is the possibility of a resolution to a problem that has been a challenge for American national security for over a decade now, and that is getting Iran to, in a verifiable fashion, not pursue a nuclear weapon. Already, even with the interim deal that we struck in Geneva, we had the first halt and, in some cases, some rollback of Iran's nuclear capabilities -- the first time that we've seen that in almost a decade. 至于伊朗，有可能解决一个困扰美国国家安全十多年的难题：以可核查的方式确保伊朗不寻求制造核武器。即使只是我们在日内瓦达成的临时协议，也已经首次使伊朗的核能力停止扩张，并在某些方面有所回退。这是近十年来我们第一次看到这种情况。
And we now have a structure in which we can have a very serious conversation to see is it possible for Iran to get right with the international community in a verifiable fashion to give us all confidence that any peaceful nuclear program that they have is not going to be weaponized in a way that threatens us or allies in the region, including Israel. 现在，我们有了一个框架，可以认真探讨伊朗能否以可核查的方式与国际社会重建正常关系，让我们都有信心：伊朗可能拥有的任何和平核计划，都不会被武器化，威胁美国或包括以色列在内的地区盟友。
And as I've said before and I will repeat, it is very important for us to test whether that's possible, not because it's guaranteed, but because the alternative is possibly us having to engage in some sort of conflict to resolve the problem with all kinds of unintended consequences. 正如我以前说过、现在再说一遍，我们必须检验这是否可能。不是因为结果有保证，而是因为另一种选择可能是我们不得不通过某种冲突解决问题，而冲突会带来各种意想不到的后果。
Now, I've been very clear from the start, I mean what I say: It is my goal to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I sure would rather do it diplomatically. I'm keeping all options on the table, but if I can do it diplomatically, that's how we should do it. And I would think that would be the preference of everybody up on Capitol Hill because that sure is the preference of the American people. 我从一开始就说得很清楚，而且说到做到：我的目标是阻止伊朗获得核武器。但我当然更愿意通过外交实现目标。所有选项仍摆在桌面上；如果能够通过外交解决，就应当这样做。我想，这也应该是国会山上每个人的首选，因为美国人民显然更希望如此。
And we lose nothing during this negotiation period. Precisely because there are verification provisions in place, we will have more insight into Iran's nuclear program over the next six months than we have previously. We'll know if they are violating the terms of the agreement. They're not allowed to accelerate their stockpile of enriched uranium -- in fact, they have to reduce their stockpile of highly enriched uranium. 在谈判期间，我们不会失去什么。正因为有核查条款，未来六个月我们对伊朗核计划的了解会比过去更深入。如果他们违反协议，我们会知道。他们不得增加浓缩铀库存；事实上，他们必须削减高浓缩铀库存。
Ironically, if we did not have this six-month period in which we're testing whether we can get a comprehensive solution to this problem, they'd be advancing even further on their nuclear program. And in light of all that, what I've said to members of Congress -- Democrats and Republicans -- is there is no need for new sanctions legislation. Not yet. 讽刺的是，如果没有这六个月用来检验能否全面解决问题，伊朗的核计划反而会取得更大进展。考虑到这一切，我对国会两党的议员说：现在没有必要制定新的制裁法案，至少眼下没有。
Now, if Iran comes back and says, we can't give you assurances that we're not going to weaponize, if they're not willing to address some of their capabilities that we know could end up resulting in them having breakout capacity, it's not going to be hard for us to turn the dials back, strengthen sanctions even further. I'll work with members of Congress to put even more pressure on Iran. But there's no reason to do it right now. 如果伊朗回来说，无法向我们保证不会把核计划武器化；如果他们不愿处理那些我们知道可能使其具备迅速突破能力的核能力，那么我们很容易重新加大力度，进一步强化制裁。我会与国会议员合作，对伊朗施加更大压力。但现在没有理由这样做。
And so I'm not surprised that there's been some talk from some members of Congress about new sanctions -- I think the politics of trying to look tough on Iran are often good when you're running for office or if you're in office. 因此，国会一些议员讨论新制裁，我并不意外。在竞选或任职期间，表现出对伊朗的强硬姿态，通常在政治上有利。
But as President of the United States right now, who's been responsible over the last four years, with the help of Congress, in putting together a comprehensive sanctions regime that was specifically designed to put pressure on them and bring them to the table to negotiate -- what I'm saying to them, what I've said to the international community, and what I've said to the American people is let's test it. Now is the time to try to see if we can get this thing done. 但作为现任美国总统，我过去四年在国会协助下，负责建立了一整套制裁体系，目的正是对伊朗施压，让他们走上谈判桌。我对这些议员、对国际社会和对美国人民说的都是：让我们检验一下。现在正是尝试看看能否解决此事的时候。
And I've heard some logic that says, well, Mr. President, we're supportive of the negotiations, but we think it's really useful to have this club hanging over Iran's head. Well, first of all, we still have the existing sanctions already in place that are resulting in Iran losing billions of dollars every month in lost oil sales. We already have banking and financial sanctions that are still being applied even as the negotiations are taking place. It's not as if we're letting up on that. 我听到一种说法：“总统先生，我们支持谈判，但认为在伊朗头顶悬着制裁这根大棒很有用。”首先，现有制裁仍然有效，伊朗因石油销售损失，每月失去数十亿美元。即使谈判正在进行，银行和金融制裁也仍在实施。我们并没有放松这些措施。
I've heard arguments, well, but this way we can be assured and the Iranians will know that if negotiations fail even new and harsher sanctions will be put into place. Listen, I don't think the Iranians have any doubt that Congress would be more than happy to pass more sanctions legislation. We can do that in a day, on a dime. But if we're serious about negotiations, we've got to create an atmosphere in which Iran is willing to move in ways that are uncomfortable for them and contrary to their ideology and rhetoric and their instincts and their suspicions of us. 还有人说，这样可以确保伊朗人知道，谈判一旦失败，就会实施新的、更严厉的制裁。听着，我不认为伊朗人会怀疑国会非常乐意通过更多制裁法案。我们随时可以在一天内做到。但如果我们认真对待谈判，就必须营造一种氛围，使伊朗愿意采取令他们不舒服、违背其意识形态、言辞、直觉和对我们疑心的行动。
And we don't help get them to a position where we can actually resolve this by engaging in this kind of action. 采取这种做法，无助于促使他们走到能够真正解决问题的位置。
Okay, everybody, I think I'm going to take one more question. Colleen McCain Nelson. And that is it. 好了，各位，我想再回答最后一个问题。科琳·麦凯恩·纳尔逊。之后就结束。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. 提问：谢谢您，总统先生。
President Obama: There you are. 奥巴马总统：你在这儿。
Q: Some of your longtime advisors are leaving the White House and new folks are coming in. Others are taking on new roles in the West Wing. As you reshape your team a bit, how does that change the dynamic here and how does it impact what you think you can accomplish going forward? 提问：您的一些长期顾问正离开白宫，新人加入，另一些人在西翼担任新职务。您稍微调整团队后，这里的工作方式会有什么变化？您认为这会如何影响今后能够完成的工作？
President Obama: I just had lunch with Pete Rouse, who is leaving me. And that's tough. 奥巴马总统：我刚和即将离开的皮特·劳斯共进午餐。这让我很难受。
Q: He says so. 提问：他说也是这样。
President Obama: He says so right now at least. I love that guy and that will be a significant loss, although he'll still be in town and, hopefully, I'll be able to consult with him on an ongoing basis. 奥巴马总统：至少现在他是这么说的。我很喜欢他，他的离开会是很大的损失。不过他还会留在华盛顿，希望我能继续向他请教。
I think the fact that John Podesta is coming in will be terrific. He may deny it, but I've been trying to get him in here for quite some time. He ran my transition office. I asked him when he was running the transition office if he would be willing to join us, and at that time I think he was still feeling that he wanted to develop CAP and other organizations. But John is a great strategist, as good as anybody on domestic policy. And I think he'll be a huge boost to us and give us more bandwidth to deal with more issues. 我认为约翰·波德斯塔的加入会非常好。他可能不承认，但我已经尝试请他来这里很长时间了。他曾负责我的政权交接办公室。当时我问他是否愿意加入政府，我想那时他还希望继续发展美国进步中心和其他组织。约翰是一位出色的战略家，在国内政策方面不逊于任何人。我认为，他会极大地增强我们团队的实力，让我们有更多精力处理更多问题。
I suspect that we may have additional announcements in the New Year. There's a natural turnover that takes place. People get tired. People get worn out. Sometimes, you need fresh legs. 我想，新年里可能还有其他人事消息。人员更替是自然的。人会疲惫，会耗尽精力。有时候，团队需要新鲜力量。
But what I can tell you is that the team I have now is tireless and shares my values, and believes the thing that I think I've repeated probably four or five times in this press conference, which is we get this incredible privilege for a pretty short period of time to do as much as we can for as many people as we can to help them live better lives. And that's what drives them. That's the sacrifice they make being away from families and soccer games and birthdays, and some of them will end up working over Christmas on issues like Iran. 但我可以告诉你，现有团队不知疲倦，与我持有相同的价值观，也相信一件我在这场记者会上大概已重复四五次的事：我们有幸在相当短的一段时间里，尽可能为尽可能多的人做事，帮助他们过上更好的生活。这是他们工作的动力。为此，他们牺牲了陪伴家人的时间，错过足球赛和生日聚会，其中一些人还会在圣诞节期间为伊朗等问题工作。
And the fact that they make those kinds of sacrifices I'm always grateful for. And if they then say to me after making those sacrifices for three, four, five years, I need a break, then I completely understand. 他们愿意作出这样的牺牲，我始终心怀感激。如果他们为此付出了三年、四年、五年之后对我说“我需要休息一下”，我完全理解。
All right? Have a great holiday, everybody. Appreciate you. 好吗？祝各位假期愉快。谢谢大家。
Q: Merry Christmas. 提问：圣诞快乐。
President Obama: Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. 奥巴马总统：圣诞快乐。新年快乐。