Good afternoon, everybody. Please have a seat. I hear you have some questions for me. But let me just make a few remarks at the top, and then I'll open it up. 大家下午好。请坐。我听说你们有一些问题要问我。但让我先简单讲几句，然后我就开始回答提问。
First of all, I want to reiterate what I said on Friday. Right now, our economy is still recovering from a very deep and damaging crisis, so our top priority has to be jobs and growth. We’ve got to build on the progress that we’ve made, because this nation succeeds when we’ve got a growing, thriving middle class. 首先，我想重申我上周五所说的话。目前，我们的经济仍在从一场非常深重和破坏性的危机中复苏，因此我们的首要任务必须是就业和增长。我们必须在已经取得的进展上继续努力，因为只有当我们的中产阶级不断壮大和繁荣时，这个国家才能成功。
And that’s the idea at the core of the plan that I talked about on the campaign trail over the last year: Rewarding manufacturers and small businesses that create jobs here, not overseas; providing more Americans the chance to earn the skills that businesses are looking for right now; keeping this country at the forefront of research, technology, and clean energy; putting people back to work rebuilding our roads, our bridges, and our schools; and reducing our deficit in a balanced and responsible way. 这也是我过去一年在竞选过程中所谈计划的核心理念：奖励在美国本土而非海外创造就业的制造商和小企业；为更多美国人提供机会，让他们掌握当前企业所需要的技能；保持我国在研究、技术和清洁能源领域的前沿地位；让人们重新回到工作岗位，重建我们的道路、桥梁和学校；并以平衡和负责任的方式减少我们的赤字。
Now, on this last item, we face a very clear deadline that requires us to make some big decisions on jobs, taxes and deficits by the end of the year. Both parties voted to set this deadline. And I believe that both parties can work together to make these decisions in a balanced and responsible way. 关于最后一项，我们面临一个非常明确的截止日期，要求我们在今年年底前就就业、税收和赤字问题做出一些重大决定。两党都投票同意设定这个截止日期。我相信两党可以携手合作，以平衡和负责任的方式做出这些决定。
Yesterday, I had a chance to meet with labor and civic leaders for their input. Today, I’m meeting with CEOs of some of America’s largest companies. And I’ll meet with leaders of both parties of Congress before the week is out. Because there’s only one way to solve these challenges, and that is to do it together. 昨天，我有机会与劳工界和民间领袖会面，听取他们的意见。今天，我正在与美国一些大型企业的首席执行官会面。在本周结束之前，我还将与国会两党领袖会面。因为解决这些挑战只有一种方法，那就是共同合作。
As I’ve said before, I’m open to compromise and I’m open to new ideas. And I’ve been encouraged over the past week to hear Republican after Republican agree on the need for more revenue from the wealthiest Americans as part of our arithmetic if we’re going to be serious about reducing the deficit. 正如我之前所说，我愿意妥协，也愿意接受新想法。过去一周来，我受到鼓舞，看到一位又一位共和党人认同，如果我们真心想要削减赤字，就需要从最富有的美国人那里获得更多收入，这是我们必须面对的算术问题。
Because when it comes to taxes, there are two pathways available: Option one, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, everybody’s taxes will automatically go up -- including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year and the 97 percent of small businesses who earn less than $250,000 a year. That doesn’t make sense. Our economy can’t afford that right now. Certainly no middle-class family can afford that right now. And nobody in either party says that they want it to happen. 因为在税收问题上，有两条路径可供选择：第一条，如果国会到年底仍不采取行动，所有人的税负都将自动增加——包括年收入低于25万美元的98%的美国人，以及年收入低于25万美元的97%的小企业。这是没有道理的。我们的经济现在承受不起这样的结果。中产阶级家庭当然更承受不起。而且两党中没有人说他们希望这种情况发生。
The other option is to pass a law right now that would prevent any tax hike whatsoever on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income. And by the way, that means every American, including the wealthiest Americans, get a tax cut. It means that 98 percent of all Americans, and 97 percent of all small businesses won’t see their taxes go up a single dime. The Senate has already passed a law like this. Democrats in the House are ready to pass a law like this. And I hope Republicans in the House come on board, too. 另一个选择是现在就通过一项法律，确保所有人收入中前25万美元的任何部分都不会增税。顺便说一下，这意味着每个美国人，包括最富有的美国人，都能获得减税。这意味着98%的美国人和97%的小企业不会看到他们的税收增加一分一毫。参议院已经通过了类似的法律。众议院的民主党人已经准备好通过类似的法律。我希望众议院的共和党人也能加入进来。
We should not hold the middle class hostage while we debate tax cuts for the wealthy. We should at least do what we agree on, and that's to keep middle-class taxes low. And I’ll bring everyone in to sign it right away so we can give folks some certainty before the holiday season. 我们不应该在为富人减税的争论中把中产阶级当作人质。我们至少应该做我们意见一致的事，那就是保持中产阶级的低税率。我会把大家都叫来立即签署，这样我们就能在假日季之前给民众一些确定性。
I won’t pretend that figuring out everything else will be easy, but I'm confident we can do it -- and I know we have to. I know that that's what the American people want us to do. That was the very clear message from the election last week. And that was the message of a letter that I received over the weekend. 我不会假装解决其他所有问题会很容易，但我有信心我们能做到——我也知道我们必须做到。我知道这是美国人民希望我们做的。这是上周选举传递的非常明确的信息。这也是我周末收到的一封信所传达的信息。
It came from a man in Tennessee who began by writing that he didn’t vote for me -- which is okay. But what he said was even though he didn’t give me his vote, he’s giving me his support to move this country forward. And he said the same to his Republican representatives in Washington. He said that he’ll back each of us, regardless of party, as long as we work together to make life better for all of us. And he made it clear that if we don’t make enough progress, he’ll be back in touch. 这封信来自田纳西州的一位男士，他在信的开头写道，他没有把票投给我——这没关系。但他说的是，尽管他没有把票投给我，他却愿意支持我推动这个国家向前发展。他也对他的共和党代表说了同样的话。他说，只要我们共同努力让所有人的生活会更好，他就会支持我们每一个人，不分党派。他还明确表示，如果我们不能取得足够的进展，他还会再来联系。
“My hope,” he wrote, “is that we can make progress in light of personal and party principles, special interest groups, and years of business as usual. We’ve got to work together and put our differences aside.” "我的希望，"他写道，"是我们能够超越个人和党派原则、特殊利益集团以及多年来的一成不变，取得真正的进展。我们必须携手合作，搁置分歧。"
I couldn't say it better myself. That’s precisely what I intend to do. 我自己也不能说得更好了。这正是我打算做的。
And with that, let me open it up for your questions. And I'm going to start off with Ben Feller of AP. 那么，现在让我开始回答你们的问题。我先请美联社的Ben Feller提问。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Can you assure the American people that there have been no breaches of national security or classified information in the scandal involving Generals Petraeus and Allen? And do you think that you as Commander-in-Chief and the American people should have been told that the CIA chief was under investigation before the election? 问：谢谢总统先生。您能否向美国人民保证，在涉及Petraeus将军和Allen将军的丑闻中没有发生国家安全或机密信息的泄露？另外，您认为作为三军统帅，您和美国人民是否应该在大选之前就被告知中央情报局局长正在接受调查？
President Obama: Well, I have no evidence at this point from what I've seen that classified information was disclosed that in any way would have had a negative impact on our national security. 奥巴马总统：嗯，从我所了解到的情况来看，目前我没有证据表明有机密信息被泄露，或者以任何方式对我们的国家安全产生了负面影响。
Obviously there’s an ongoing investigation. I don't want to comment on the specifics of the investigation. The FBI has its own protocols in terms of how they proceed, and I'm going to let Director Mueller and others examine those protocols and make some statements to the public generally. 显然，目前有一项正在进行的调查。我不想对调查的具体细节发表评论。联邦调查局有自己的办案程序，我将让Mueller局长和其他人审查这些程序，并向公众做出一些总体说明。
I do want to emphasize what I’ve said before: General Petraeus had an extraordinary career. He served this country with great distinction in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and as head of the CIA. By his own assessment, he did not meet the standards that he felt were necessary as the Director of CIA with respect to this personal matter that he is now dealing with, with his family and with his wife. And it’s on that basis that he tendered his resignation, and it’s on that basis that I accepted it. 我确实想重申我之前说过的话：Petraeus将军有着非凡的职业生涯。他在伊拉克、阿富汗以及担任中央情报局局长期间，以卓越的表现为国家服务。按他自己的评估，作为中央情报局局长，在这件他现在正与家人和妻子共同面对的个人事务上，他没有达到他认为应有的标准。正是基于这一原因，他提出了辞呈，也正是基于这一原因，我接受了他的辞呈。
But I want to emphasize that from my perspective at least, he has provided this country an extraordinary service. We are safer because of the work that Dave Petraeus has done. And my main hope right now is, is that he and his family are able to move on and that this ends up being a single side note on what has otherwise been an extraordinary career. 但我想强调的是，至少在我看来，他为这个国家提供了非凡的服务。因为Dave Petraeus所做的工作，我们更加安全。我现在最大的希望是他和他的家人能够继续前行，这件事最终只是他非凡职业生涯中的一个小插曲。
Question: What about voters? Did they deserve to know? 问：那选民呢？他们是否有权知道？
President Obama: Again, I think you’re going to have to talk to the FBI in terms of what their general protocols are when it comes to what started off as a potential criminal investigation. One of the challenges here is, is that we’re not supposed to meddle in criminal investigations, and that’s been our practice. And I think that there are certain procedures that both the FBI follow, or DOJ follow, when they’re involved in these investigations. 奥巴马总统：再说一次，我认为你需要向联邦调查局了解，当他们开始一项可能涉及刑事犯罪的调查时，他们的一般程序是什么。这里的一个挑战是，我们不应该干预刑事调查，这也是我们的一贯做法。我认为联邦调查局和司法部在参与这类调查时，都有各自需要遵循的特定程序。
That’s traditionally been how we view things, in part because people are innocent until proven guilty, and we want to make sure that we don’t pre-judge these kinds of situations. And so my expectation is, is that they followed protocols that they already established. 这是我们一贯的看待方式，部分原因是人们在被证明有罪之前是无辜的，我们要确保不对这类情况进行预判。因此我的期望是，他们遵循了已经建立的程序。
Jessica Yellin. Where’s Jessica? Jessica Yellin。Jessica在哪里？
Question: Mr. President, on the fiscal cliff, two years ago, sir, you said that you wouldn’t extend the Bush-era tax cuts, but at the end of the day, you did. So, respectfully, sir, why should the American people and the Republicans believe that you won’t cave again this time? 问：总统先生，关于财政悬崖，两年前您说过不会延长布什时代的减税政策，但最终您还是延长了。那么，恕我直言，为什么美国人民和共和党人应该相信您这次不会再妥协？
President Obama: Well, two years ago, the economy was in a different situation. We were still very much in the early parts of recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 奥巴马总统：嗯，两年前，经济处于不同的情况。我们当时仍然处于从大萧条以来最严重的经济危机中复苏的早期阶段。
And ultimately, we came together not only to extend the Bush tax cuts, but also a wide range of policies that were going to be good for the economy at that point -- unemployment insurance extensions, payroll tax extension -- all of which made a difference, and is part of the reason why what we've seen now is 32 consecutive months of job growth and over 5.5 million jobs created and the unemployment rate coming down. 最终，我们不仅共同延长了布什减税政策，还推动了一系列在当时对经济有利的政策——延长失业保险、延长工资税减免——这些都发挥了作用，也是我们现在看到连续32个月就业增长、创造超过550万个就业岗位以及失业率下降的部分原因。
But what I said at the time is what I meant, which is this was a one-time proposition. And what I have told leaders privately as well as publicly is that we cannot afford to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. What we can do is make sure that middle-class taxes don’t go up. 但我当时所说的就是我真正的意思，即这是一次性的权宜之计。我已经私下和公开告诉过各位领导人，我们无法承受为富人延长布什减税政策。我们能做的是确保中产阶级的税收不会增加。
And so the most important step we can take right now -- I think the foundation for a deal that helps the economy, creates jobs, gives consumers certainty, which means gives businesses confidence that they're going to have consumers during the holiday season -- is if we right away say 98 percent of Americans are not going to see their taxes go up; 97 percent of small businesses are not going to see their taxes go up. 因此，我们现在能采取的最重要的一步——我认为这是一项帮助经济、创造就业、给消费者带来确定性的协议的基础，也就是让企业有信心在假日季拥有消费者——就是立即宣布98%的美国人不会看到他们的税收增加；97%的小企业不会看到他们的税收增加。
If we get that in place, we are actually removing half of the fiscal cliff. Half of the danger to our economy is removed by that single step. 如果我们做到这一点，实际上就消除了财政悬崖的一半。仅凭这一步，我们经济面临的一半危险就被消除了。
And what we can then do is shape a process whereby we look at tax reform -- which I'm very eager to do. I think we can simplify our tax system. I think we can make it more efficient. We can eliminate loopholes and deductions that have a distorting effect on our economy. I believe that we have to continue to take a serious look at how we reform our entitlements, because health care costs continue to be the biggest driver of our deficits. 接下来我们可以做的是推进一个进程，着手研究税收改革——我非常渴望这样做。我认为我们可以简化我们的税收制度。我认为我们可以使其更高效。我们可以消除那些对我们的经济造成扭曲的漏洞和减免。我认为我们必须继续认真审视如何改革我们的福利项目，因为医疗保健成本仍然是我们赤字的最大驱动因素。
So there is a package to be shaped, and I'm confident that parties -- folks of goodwill in both parties can make that happen. But what I'm not going to do is to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent that we can't afford, and according to economists, will have the least positive impact on our economy. 因此，可以形成一个综合方案，我有信心两党中善意的人们能够促成此事。但我不会做的是延长我们无法承受的、为最富有的2%的人提供的布什减税政策，而且根据经济学家的说法，这对我们经济的正面影响最小。
Question: You've said that the wealthiest must pay more. Would closing loopholes instead of raising rates for them satisfy you? 问：您说过最富有的人必须缴纳更多。那么通过堵住漏洞而不是提高税率是否能令您满意？
President Obama: I think that there are loopholes that can be closed, and we should look at how we can make the process of deductions, the filing process easier, simpler. But when it comes to the top 2 percent, what I’m not going to do is to extend further a tax cut for folks who don’t need it, which would cost close to a trillion dollars. 奥巴马总统：我认为确实有一些漏洞可以堵上，我们也应该研究如何让减免流程和申报流程更简单、更便捷。但对于最富有的2%的人，我不会做的是进一步延长他们并不需要的减税政策，这将花费近一万亿美元。
And it’s very difficult to see how you make up that trillion dollars -- if we’re serious about deficit reduction -- just by closing loopholes and deductions. The math tends not to work. And I think it’s important to establish a basic principle that was debated extensively during the course of this campaign. I mean, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. If there was one thing that everybody understood was a big difference between myself and Mr. 很难想象如果我们认真对待削减赤字，仅靠堵住漏洞和取消减免就能弥补那一万亿美元。数学上行不通。我认为确立一个基本原则很重要，这个原则在竞选期间已经被广泛讨论过。我的意思是，这对任何人都不应该是个意外。如果说有一件事所有人都明白是我和Romney先生之间的重大分歧，
Romney, it was when it comes to how we reduce our deficit, I argued for a balanced, responsible approach, and part of that included making sure that the wealthiest Americans pay a little bit more. 那就是关于如何削减赤字，我主张采取平衡、负责任的方式，其中一部分就是确保最富有的美国人多缴纳一点。
I think every voter out there understood that that was an important debate, and the majority of voters agreed with me. By the way, more voters agreed with me on this issue than voted for me. So we’ve got a clear majority of the American people who recognize if we’re going to be serious about deficit reduction, we’ve got to do it in a balanced way. 我认为每位选民都理解那是一场重要的辩论，而且大多数选民同意我的观点。顺便说一下，在这个问题上同意我的选民比投票给我的选民还要多。因此我们拥有美国人民的明确多数支持，他们认识到如果我们认真对待削减赤字，就必须以平衡的方式来做到。
The only question now is are we going to hold the middle class hostage in order to go ahead and let that happen? Or can we all step back and say, here’s something we agree on -- we don’t want middle-class taxes to go up. Let’s go ahead and lock that in. That will be good for the economy. It will be good for consumers. It will be good for businesses. It takes the edge off the fiscal cliff. 现在唯一的问题是，我们是否要拿中产阶级当人质来让这件事发生？还是我们都能退一步说，这是我们一致同意的——我们不想让中产阶级的税收增加。让我们先把这一点确定下来。这对经济有利。对消费者有利。对企业有利。它能缓解财政悬崖的冲击。
And let’s also then commit ourselves to the broader package of deficit reduction that includes entitlement changes and it includes potentially tax reform, as well as I’m willing to look at additional work that we can do on the discretionary spending side. 同时，让我们也致力于更广泛的赤字削减方案，包括福利项目改革和潜在的税收改革，我也愿意审视我们在可自由支配支出方面可以做的额外工作。
So I want a big deal. I want a comprehensive deal. I want to see if we can, at least for the foreseeable future, provide certainty to businesses and the American people so that we can focus on job growth, so that we’re also investing in the things that we need. But right now what I want to make sure of is that taxes on middle-class families don’t go up. And there’s a very easy way to do that. We could get that done by next week. 所以我想要一个大方案。我想要一个全面的方案。我想看看我们能否在可预见的未来为企业和美国人民提供确定性，这样我们就能专注于就业增长，同时投资于我们需要的东西。但现在我想确保的是中产阶级家庭的税收不会增加。有一个非常简单的方法可以做到这一点。我们下周就能完成。
Lori Montenegro, Telemundo. Lori Montenegro，Telemundo。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. On immigration reform, the criticism in the past has been that you did not put forth legislation with specific ideas and send it up to the Hill. This time around you have said again that this will be one of the top priorities for a second term. Will you then send legislation to the Hill? And exactly what do you envision is broad immigration reform? Does that include a legalization program? And also, what lessons, if any, did Democrats learn from this last election and the Latino vote? 问：谢谢总统先生。关于移民改革，过去的批评是您没有提出包含具体想法的立法并提交给国会。这次您再次表示，这将是第二任期的首要任务之一。那么您会向国会提交立法吗？您心目中的全面移民改革到底是什么样的？是否包括合法化项目？另外，如果有的话，民主党人从这次选举和拉丁裔选票中学到了什么教训？
President Obama: Well, I think what was incredibly encouraging was to see a significant increase in Latino turnout. It is the fastest-growing group in the country. And historically what you’ve seen is the Latino vote, vote at lower rates than the broader population, and that's beginning to change. You're starting to see a sense of empowerment and civic participation that I think is going to be powerful and good for the country. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我认为令人无比鼓舞的是拉丁裔投票率的大幅提升。这是全国增长最快的群体。从历史上看，拉丁裔的投票率一直低于更广泛的人群，但这种状况正在改变。你们开始看到一种赋权感和公民参与意识的提升，我认为这将是强大的力量，对国家有益。
And it is why I’m very confident that we can get immigration reform done. Before the election I had given a couple interviews where I predicted that the Latino vote was going to be strong, and that that would cause some reflection on the part of Republicans about their position on immigration reform. I think we’re starting to see that already. I think that's a positive sign. 这也是为什么我非常有信心我们能完成移民改革。在选举之前，我接受了几次采访，我预测拉丁裔选票将会很强劲，这将促使共和党人反思他们在移民改革问题上的立场。我认为我们已经开始看到这种情况了。我认为这是一个积极的信号。
This has not historically been a partisan issue -- we’ve had President Bush and John McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the past. So we need to seize the moment. And my expectation is, is that we get a bill introduced and we begin the process in Congress very soon after my inauguration. And in fact, some conversations I think are already beginning to take place among senators and congressmen and my staff about what would this look like. 从历史上看，这并不是一个党派问题——Bush总统和John McCain以及其他人都曾在过去支持过全面移民改革。所以我们需要抓住这个时机。我的期望是，在我就职后很快就会有一项法案被提出，我们将在国会启动这个进程。事实上，我认为参议员、众议员和我的工作人员之间已经开始了关于这个方案应该是什么样的对话。
And when I say comprehensive immigration reform, it is very similar to the outlines of previous efforts at comprehensive immigration reform. I think it should include a continuation of the strong border security measures that we’ve taken because we have to secure our borders. I think it should contain serious penalties for companies that are purposely hiring undocumented workers and taking advantage of them. And I do think that there should be a pathway for legal status for those who are living in this country, are not engaged in criminal activity, are here simply to work. 当我说全面移民改革时，它与之前全面移民改革努力的大框架非常相似。我认为它应该包括继续实施我们已经采取的强有力的边境安全措施，因为我们必须确保边境安全。我认为它应该包含对故意雇佣无证工人并利用他们的公司实施严厉处罚。我确实认为，对于那些生活在这个国家、没有从事犯罪活动、只是来这里工作的人，应该有一条获得合法地位的途径。
It’s important for them to pay back-taxes. It’s important for them to learn English. It’s important for them to potentially pay a fine. But to give them the avenue whereby they can resolve their legal status here in this country I think is very important. 他们补缴欠税很重要。他们学习英语很重要。他们可能需要支付罚款也很重要。但给他们一条途径来解决在这个国家的合法地位，我认为非常重要。
Obviously, making sure that we put into law what the first step that we’ve taken administratively dealing with the DREAM Act kids is very important as well. One thing that I’m very clear about is that young people who are brought here through no fault of their own, who have gone to school here, pledged allegiance to our flag, want to serve in our military, want to go to school and contribute to our society, that they shouldn’t be under the cloud of deportation, that we should give them every opportunity to earn their citizenship. 显然，确保将通过行政手段处理DREAM法案孩子们问题的第一步写入法律也非常重要。我非常明确的一点是，那些并非出于自身过错被带到这里的年轻人，他们在这里上学，向我们的国旗宣誓效忠，想在我们的军队服役，想上学并为我们的社会做贡献，他们不应该生活在被驱逐出境的阴影之下，我们应该给他们一切机会去赢得公民身份。
And so there are other components to it, obviously. The business community continues to be concerned about getting enough high-skill workers, and I am a believer that if you’ve got a PhD in physics or computer science who wants to stay here and start a business here, we shouldn’t make it harder for him to stay here; we should try to encourage him to contribute to this society. 显然，移民改革还有其他组成部分。商界持续关注能否获得足够的高技能工人，我相信如果你有一位物理学或计算机科学博士想要留在这里并在这里创业，我们不应该让他留下来变得更困难；我们应该努力鼓励他为这个社会做出贡献。
I think that the agricultural sector obviously has very specific concerns about making sure that they’ve got a workforce that helps deliver food to our tables. 我认为农业部门显然有非常具体的关切，需要确保他们有劳动力帮助将食物送上我们的餐桌。
So there are going to be a bunch of components to it, but I think whatever process we have needs to make sure our border security is strong, needs to deal with employers effectively, needs to provide a pathway for the undocumented here, needs to deal with the DREAM Act kids. And I think that’s something that we can get done. 所以这会有很多组成部分，但我认为无论我们采取什么流程，都需要确保边境安全强劲，需要有效处理雇主问题，需要为这里的无证移民提供一条途径，需要处理DREAM法案孩子们的问题。我认为这是我们可以完成的事情。
Chuck Todd. Where’s Chuck? Chuck Todd。Chuck在哪里？
Question: Mr. President, I just want to follow on both Ben’s question and Jessica’s question. On having to do with Ben’s question -- 问：总统先生，我只是想接着Ben的问题和Jessica的问题提问。关于Ben的问题——
President Obama: How about Lori’s question? Do you want to follow up on that one, too? 奥巴马总统：Lori的问题呢？你也想跟进那个问题吗？
Question: No, I feel like you answered that one completely. 问：不，我觉得那个问题您已经完全回答了。
Are you withholding judgment on whether you should have known sooner that there was a potential -- that there was an investigation into whether your CIA Director -- potentially there was a national security breach with your CIA Director -- do you believe you should have known sooner? Are you withholding judgment until the investigation is complete on that front? 您是否在对是否应该更早得知相关信息保留判断——即是否有针对您的中央情报局局长正在接受调查——您的中央情报局局长是否可能存在国家安全违规——您是否认为自己应该更早得知？您是否在调查完成之前对此事保留判断？
And then the follow-up to Jessica’s question -- tax rates. Are you -- is there no deal at the end of the year if tax rates for the top 2 percent aren’t the Clinton tax rates, period? No ifs, ands, or buts -- any room in negotiating on that specific aspect of the fiscal cliff? 然后是Jessica问题的后续——税率。如果年底前最富有的2%的人的税率没有恢复到Clinton时期的税率，是否就没有任何协议可言，绝不妥协？在财政悬崖的这一具体方面是否有任何谈判余地？
President Obama: I am withholding judgment with respect to how the entire process surrounding General Petraeus came up. We don’t have all the information yet, but I want to say that I have a lot of confidence generally in the FBI, and they’ve got a difficult job. And so I’m going to wait and see to see if there’s any other -- 奥巴马总统：对于围绕Petraeus将军的整个事件是如何发生的，我正在保留判断。我们还没有掌握所有信息，但我想说的是，我总体上对联邦调查局有很大信心，他们的工作很艰难。所以我会等待和观察，看看是否还有其他——
Question: -- that you should have known? Do you think in hindsight -- 问：——您是否应该更早得知？您是否认为事后看来——
President Obama: Well, I mean, Chuck, what I’ll say is, is that if -- it is also possible that had we been told, then you’d be sitting here asking a question about why were you interfering in a criminal investigation. So I think it’s best right now for us to just see how this whole process unfolded. 奥巴马总统：嗯，我的意思是，Chuck，我要说的是，如果——如果我们当时被告知了，那么你现在可能坐在这里问我，为什么你要干预一项刑事调查。所以我认为现在最好的做法就是看看这整个事件是如何展开的。
With respect to the tax rates, I just want to emphasize I am open to new ideas. If Republican counterparts or some Democrats have a great idea for us to raise revenue, maintain progressivity, make sure the middle class isn’t getting hit, reduces our deficit, encourages growth, I’m not going to just slam the door in their face. I want to hear ideas from everybody. 关于税率，我只想强调我愿意接受新想法。如果共和党同仁或一些民主党人有一个好主意，可以提高收入、保持累进性、确保中产阶级不受冲击、减少赤字、促进增长，我不会当面把门关上。我想听取每个人的想法。
Question: -- red line. 问：——红线。
President Obama: Look, I believe this is solvable. I think that fair-minded people can come to an agreement that does not cause the economy to go back into recession, that protects middle-class families, that focuses on jobs and growth, and reduces our deficit. I’m confident it can be done. 奥巴马总统：听着，我相信这个问题是可以解决的。我认为公正的人可以达成一项协议，不会导致经济重新陷入衰退，保护中产阶级家庭，专注于就业和增长，并减少我们的赤字。我有信心这可以做到。
My budget, frankly, does it. I understand that -- I don’t expect the Republicans simply to adopt my budget. That’s not realistic. So I recognize that we're going to have to compromise. And as I said on Election Night, compromise is hard, and not everybody gets 100 percent of what they want and not everybody is going to be perfectly happy. 坦白说，我的预算方案就能做到。我理解这一点——我不指望共和党人直接采纳我的预算方案。那不现实。所以我认识到我们将不得不妥协。正如我在选举之夜所说，妥协是困难的，不是每个人都能得到100%他们想要的，也不是每个人都会完全满意。
But what I will not do is to have a process that is vague, that says we're going to sort of, kind of, raise revenue through dynamic scoring or closing loopholes that have not been identified. 但我不会做的是接受一个模糊的流程，说我们将通过动态评分或堵住尚未确定的漏洞来"差不多"地增加收入。
And the reason I won't do that is because I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now where, lo and behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families, or to burden families that have disabled kids or have a parent in a nursing home, or suddenly we've got to cut more out of our basic research budget that is the key to growing the economy in the long term. 我不愿这样做的原因是，我不想六个月或一年之后发现，哎呀，缩小赤字的唯一方式是向中产阶级家庭开刀，或者给有残疾孩子的家庭或家有老人住养老院的家庭增加负担，或者突然间我们不得不从基础研究预算中削减更多——而这正是长期经济增长的关键。
So that’s my concern. I'm less concerned about red lines, per se. What I'm concerned about is not finding ourselves in a situation where the wealthy aren't paying more or aren't paying as much as they should, middle-class families one way or another are making up the difference -- that’s the kind of status quo that has been going on here too long, and that’s exactly what I argued against during this campaign. 所以这才是我关心的问题。我本身不太关心所谓的红线。我关心的是不要让自己陷入这样一种境地：富人不缴纳更多或不缴纳他们应缴的份额，而中产阶级家庭却以这样或那样的方式来弥补差额——这种现状已经持续太久了，而这正是我在这次竞选中反对的。
And if there’s one thing that I'm pretty confident about is the American people understood what they were getting when they gave me this incredible privilege of being in office for another four years. 如果有一件事我相当有信心的话，那就是美国人民在给予我又一个四年任期的非凡荣誉时，清楚他们所选择的是什么。
They want compromise. They want action. But they also want to make sure that middle-class folks aren't bearing the entire burden and sacrifice when it comes to some of these big challenges. They expect that folks at the top are doing their fair share as well. And that’s going to be my guiding principle during these negotiations, but, more importantly, during the next four years of my administration. 他们想要妥协。他们想要行动。但他们也想确保在应对一些重大挑战时，中产阶级不是在独自承担全部负担和牺牲。他们期望顶层人士也在尽他们应尽的义务。这将是我这些谈判中的指导原则，但更重要的是，也将是我下一届四年任期中的指导原则。
Nancy Cordes. Nancy Cordes。
Question: Mr. President, on Election Night, you said that you were looking forward to speaking with Governor Romney, sitting down in the coming weeks to discuss ways that you could work together on this nation's problems. Have you extended that invitation? Has he accepted? And in what ways do you think you can work together? 问：总统先生，在选举之夜，您说您期待在未来几周与Romney州长坐下来交谈，讨论你们可以如何共同解决这个国家的问题。您是否已经发出了邀请？他是否接受了？您认为你们可以在哪些方面合作？
President Obama: We haven't scheduled something yet. I think everybody forgets that the election was only a week ago and -- I know I've forgotten. I forgot on Wednesday. So I think everybody needs to catch their breath. I'm sure that Governor Romney is spending some time with his family. 奥巴马总统：我们还没有安排具体时间。我想大家都忘了选举才过去一周——我自己都忘了。我周三就忘了。所以我觉得大家都需要喘口气。我相信Romney州长正在和家人共度时光。
And my hope is, before the end of the year, though, that we have a chance to sit down and talk. There are certain aspects of Governor Romney’s record and his ideas that I think could be very helpful. 不过我的希望是，在年底之前，我们有机会坐下来谈谈。Romney州长的履历和想法中有一些方面，我认为可能会非常有帮助。
Question: Such as? 问：比如呢？
President Obama: Well, to give you one example, I do think he did a terrific job running the Olympics. And that skill set of trying to figure out how do we make something work better applies to the federal government. There are a lot of ideas that I don’t think are partisan ideas but are just smart ideas about how can we make the federal government more customer friendly; how can we make sure that we’re consolidating programs that are duplicative; how can we eliminate additional waste. He presented some ideas during the course of the campaign that I actually agree with. 奥巴马总统：嗯，举个例子，我确实认为他在运营奥运会方面做得非常出色。那种试图弄清楚如何让事情运作得更好的技能组合，同样适用于联邦政府。有很多想法我认为不是党派之见，而是关于如何让联邦政府对民众更友好的好主意；如何确保我们整合重复的项目；如何消除额外的浪费。他在竞选过程中提出了一些我实际上同意的想法。
So it would be interesting to talk to him about something like that. There may be ideas that he has with respect to jobs and growth that can help middle-class families that I want to hear. 所以和他谈谈这方面的事情会很有意思。他可能在就业和增长方面有一些可以帮助中产阶级家庭的想法，我想听一听。
So I’m not either prejudging what he’s interested in doing, nor am I suggesting I’ve got some specific assignment. But what I want to do is to get ideas from him and see if there are some ways that we can potentially work together. 所以我既不是在预判他有兴趣做什么，也不是在暗示我有什么具体的安排。我想做的是从他那里获取想法，看看我们是否有可能在某些方面合作。
Question: But when it comes to your relationships with Congress, one of the most frequent criticisms we’ve heard over the past few years from members on both sides is that you haven’t done enough to reach out and build relationships. Are there concrete ways that you plan to approach your relationships with Congress in a second term? 问：但谈到您与国会的关系，过去几年我们最常听到的批评之一，来自两党议员，就是您在主动接触和建立关系方面做得不够。在第二任期，您是否有具体的方式来处理与国会的关系？
President Obama: Look, I think there’s no doubt that I can always do better, and so I will examine ways that I can make sure to communicate my desire to work with everybody, so long as it’s advancing the cause of strengthening our middle class and improving our economy. I’ve got a lot of good relationships with folks both in the House and the Senate. I have a lot of relationships on both sides of the aisle. It hasn’t always manifested itself in the kind of agreements that I’d like to see between Democrats and Republicans. 奥巴马总统：听着，我认为毫无疑问我总能做得更好，所以我会研究如何确保传达我希望与所有人合作的意愿，只要这有助于加强我们的中产阶级和改善我们的经济。我与众议院和参议院的很多人都有良好的关系。我与两党都有很多关系。但这并不总是体现在我希望看到的民主党和共和党之间的那种协议上。
And so I think all of us have responsibilities to see if there are things that we can improve on. And I don’t exempt myself from needing to do some self-reflection and see if I can improve our working relationship. 因此我认为我们所有人都有责任看看是否有可以改进的地方。我也不例外，需要做一些自我反思，看看我是否能改善我们的工作关系。
There are probably going to be still some very sharp differences. And as I said during the campaign, there are going to be times where there are fights, and I think those are fights that need to be had. But what I think the American people don’t want to see is a focus on the next election instead of a focus on them. 可能仍然会有一些非常尖锐的分歧。正如我在竞选期间所说，有些时候是需要争斗的，我认为这些争斗是必要的。但我认为美国人民不想看到的是把焦点放在下一次选举上，而不是放在他们身上。
And I don’t have another election. And Michelle and I were talking last night about what an incredible honor and privilege it is to be put in this position. And there are people all across this country, millions of folks, who worked so hard to help us get elected, but there are also millions of people who may not have voted for us but are also counting on us. And we take that responsibility very seriously. I take that responsibility very seriously. And I hope and intend to be an even better President in the second term than I was in the first. 我没有下一次选举了。Michelle和我昨晚谈到，被赋予这个位置是多么不可思议的荣誉和特权。全国各地有数百万人，有数以百万计的人如此努力地帮助我们当选，但也有数以百万计的人可能没有投我们的票，但同样在依靠我们。我们非常认真地对待这份责任。我非常认真地对待这份责任。我希望并打算在第二任期成为比第一任期更好的总统。
Jonathan Karl. Jonathan Karl。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham both said today that they want to have Watergate-style hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and said that if you nominate Susan Rice to be Secretary of State, they will do everything in their power to block her nomination. As Senator Graham said, he simply doesn’t trust Ambassador Rice after what she said about Benghazi. I’d like your reaction to that. And would those threats deter you from making a nomination like that? 问：谢谢总统先生。参议员John McCain和参议员Lindsey Graham今天都说，他们希望对美国驻Benghazi（班加西）领事馆遇袭事件举行水门事件式的听证会，并说如果您提名Susan Rice担任国务卿，他们将尽全力阻止她的提名。正如Graham参议员所说，在Rice大使关于Benghazi的发言之后，他简直不信任她。我想听听您的反应。这些威胁会阻止您做出这样的提名吗？
President Obama: Well, first of all, I’m not going to comment at this point on various nominations that I’ll put forward to fill out my Cabinet for the second term. Those are things that are still being discussed. 奥巴马总统：嗯，首先，我目前不会对我为第二任期内阁所做的各种提名发表评论。这些事情仍在讨论中。
But let me say specifically about Susan Rice, she has done exemplary work. She has represented the United States and our interests in the United Nations with skill and professionalism and toughness and grace. 但让我专门谈谈Susan Rice，她的工作堪称典范。她以技巧、专业精神、坚韧和优雅，在联合国代表了美国和我们的利益。
As I’ve said before, she made an appearance at the request of the White House in which she gave her best understanding of the intelligence that had been provided to her. If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. And I’m happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. Ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous. 正如我之前所说，她是在白宫的要求下出面发言的，在发言中她给出了对所获情报的最好理解。如果McCain参议员和Graham参议员以及其他人对某人不满，他们应该冲我来。我很乐意与他们进行那个讨论。但去针对一位与Benghazi事件毫无关系的联合国大使，她只是在根据所获情报做陈述，而去抹黑她的声誉，这是令人愤慨的。
And we’re after an election now. I think it is important for us to find out exactly what happened in Benghazi, and I’m happy to cooperate in any ways that Congress wants. We have provided every bit of information that we have, and we will continue to provide information. And we’ve got a full-blown investigation, and all that information will be disgorged to Congress. 现在选举已经结束了。我认为我们有必要查清楚Benghazi到底发生了什么，我很乐意以国会希望的任何方式配合。我们已经提供了我们所掌握的每一条信息，我们将继续提供信息。我们正在进行一项全面的调查，所有信息都将提交给国会。
And I don't think there’s any debate in this country that when you have four Americans killed, that's a problem. And we’ve got to get to the bottom of it, and there needs to be accountability. We’ve got to bring those who carried it out to justice. They won’t get any debate from me on that. 我不认为在这个国家有人会对四名美国人被杀是一个问题这点有异议。我们必须查清真相，必须有人承担责任。我们必须将实施袭击的人绳之以法。在这一点上他们不会从我这里听到任何异议。
But when they go after the U.N. Ambassador, apparently because they think she’s an easy target, then they’ve got a problem with me. And should I choose, if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her. That's not a determination that I’ve made yet. 但当他们去针对联合国大使时，显然是因为他们认为她是一个容易下手的目标，那他们就要面对我了。如果我选择，如果我认为她是国务院岗位上为美国服务的最佳人选，那么我会提名她。那是我尚未做出的决定。
Ed Henry. Ed Henry。
Question: I want to take Chuck’s lead and just ask a very small follow-up, which is whether you feel you have a mandate not just on taxes but on a range of issues because of your decisive victory? 问：我想接着Chuck的话头问一个很小的后续问题，那就是您是否认为由于您的决定性胜利，您在税收以及一系列问题上都拥有授权？
But I want to stay on Benghazi, based on what Jon asked because you said, if they want to come after me, come after me. I wanted to ask about the families of these four Americans who were killed. Sean Smith’s father, Ray, said he believes his son basically called 911 for help and they didn't get it. And I know you’ve said you grieve for these four Americans, that it’s being investigated, but the families have been waiting for more than two months. So I would like to -- for you to address the families, if you can. 但我想继续谈Benghazi的问题，基于Jon的提问，因为您说过，如果他们要针对我，就冲我来。我想问的是这四名被杀的美国人家属。Sean Smith的父亲Ray说，他认为他的儿子基本上是在打911求救，但没有得到回应。我知道您说过您为这四名美国人感到悲痛，事件正在调查中，但这些家属已经等了两个多月了。所以我想——请您向这些家属说几句话，如果可以的话。
On 9/11, as Commander-in-Chief, did you issue any orders to try to protect their lives? 在9月11日那天，作为三军统帅，您是否下达过任何试图保护他们生命安全的命令？
President Obama: Ed, I’ll address the families not through the press. I’ll address the families directly, as I already have. And we will provide all the information that is available about what happened on that day. That’s what the investigation is for. 奥巴马总统：Ed，我不会通过媒体向家属喊话。我会直接与家属沟通，正如我已经做过的那样。我们将提供关于那天所发生的一切可获取的信息。这就是调查的目的。
But as I’ve said repeatedly, if people don’t think that we did everything we can to make sure that we saved the lives of folks who I sent there and who were carrying out missions on behalf of the United States, then you don’t know how our Defense Department thinks or our State Department thinks or our CIA thinks. Their number-one priority is obviously to protect American lives. That’s what our job is. Now -- 但正如我反复说过的，如果有人认为我们没有尽一切努力确保我派到那里、代表美国执行任务的人员的生命安全，那你们就不了解我们的国防部、国务院或中央情报局的思维方式。他们的首要任务显然是保护美国人的生命。这就是我们的职责。现在——
Question: [Inaudible.] 问：[听不清。]
President Obama: Ed, I will put forward every bit of information that we have. I can tell you that immediately upon finding out that our folks were in danger, that my orders to my national security team were do whatever we need to do to make sure they’re safe. And that’s the same order that I would give any time that I see Americans are in danger, whether they’re civilian or military, because that’s our number-one priority. 奥巴马总统：Ed，我将提供我们掌握的每一条信息。我可以告诉你们，一得知我们的人员面临危险，我给国家安全团队的命令就是：不惜一切代价确保他们的安全。这也是任何时候我看到美国人处于危险中时都会下达的命令，无论是平民还是军人，因为那是我们的首要任务。
With respect to the issue of mandate, I’ve got one mandate. I’ve got a mandate to help middle-class families and families that are working hard to try to get into the middle class. That’s my mandate. That’s what the American people said. They said: Work really hard to help us. Don’t worry about the politics of it; don’t worry about the party interests; don’t worry about the special interests. Just work really hard to see if you can help us get ahead -- because we’re working really hard out here and we’re still struggling, a lot of us. That’s my mandate. 关于授权的问题，我有一个授权。我的授权是帮助中产阶级家庭和那些努力工作想要跻身中产阶级的家庭。这就是我的授权。这就是美国人民所说的。他们说：努力帮助我们。不要担心政治；不要担心党派利益；不要担心特殊利益。就是努力帮助我们向前迈进——因为我们在这里非常努力地工作，但我们中很多人仍然在挣扎。这就是我的授权。
I don’t presume that because I won an election that everybody suddenly agrees with me on everything. I’m more than familiar with all the literature about presidential overreach in second terms. We are very cautious about that. On the other hand, I didn’t get reelected just to bask in reelection. I got elected to do work on behalf of American families and small businesses all across the country who are still recovering from a really bad recession, but are hopeful about the future. 我不认为因为我赢了选举，所有人就会突然在所有事情上同意我。我对总统在第二任期过度扩张权力的所有文献非常了解。我们对此非常谨慎。另一方面，我连任不是为了沉浸在连任的喜悦中。我当选是为了代表全国各地的美国家庭和小企业工作，他们仍在从一场非常严重的衰退中复苏，但对未来充满希望。
And I am, too. The one thing that I said during the campaign that maybe sounds like a bunch of campaign rhetoric, but now that the campaign is over I am going to repeat it and hopefully you guys will really believe me -- when you travel around the country, you are inspired by the grit and resilience and hard work and decency of the American people. And it just makes you want to work harder. You meet families who are -- have overcome really tough odds and somehow are making it and sending their kids to college. 我也一样。我在竞选期间说过的一些话，也许听起来像一堆竞选辞令，但现在竞选已经结束了，我要再说一遍，希望你们这次真的相信我——当你走遍全国，你会被美国人民的坚韧、韧性、勤劳和善良所激励。这让你想要更加努力地工作。你会遇到那些克服了艰难困境、想方设法维持生计并把孩子送进大学的家庭。
And you meet young people who are doing incredible work in disadvantaged communities because they believe in the American ideal and it should available for everybody. And you meet farmers who are helping each other during times of drought, and you meet businesses that kept their doors open during the recession, even though the owner didn’t have to take a salary. 你会遇到在弱势社区做着出色工作的年轻人，因为他们相信美国理想，相信它应该对每个人开放。你会遇到在干旱时期互相帮助的农民，你会遇到在衰退期间坚持不关门的企业，即使企业主自己都不拿薪水。
And when you talk to these folks, you say to yourself, man, they deserve a better government than they've been getting. They deserve all of us here in Washington to be thinking every single day, how can I make things a little better for them -- which isn't to say that everything we do is going to be perfect, or that there aren't just going to be some big, tough challenges that we have to grapple with. But I do know the federal government can make a difference. 当你和这些人交谈时，你会对自己说，天哪，他们值得拥有比现在更好的政府。他们值得我们在华盛顿的每一个人每天都在思考，我怎样才能让他们的生活好一点——这并不是说我们做的每一件事都会完美，也不是说我们不会面对一些必须应对的重大而艰难的挑战。但我确实知道联邦政府可以发挥作用。
We're seeing it right now on the Jersey coast and in New York. People are still going through a really tough time; the response hasn't been perfect; but it's been aggressive and strong and fast and robust, and a lot of people have been helped because of it. And that’s a pretty good metaphor for how I want the federal government to operate generally, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it does. 我们现在就在Jersey海岸和纽约看到了这一点。人们仍在经历非常艰难的时期；应对并不完美；但它是积极的、有力的、快速的和强有力的，很多人因此得到了帮助。这是一个很好的比喻，说明了我希望联邦政府总体上如何运作，我会尽我所能确保它做到。
Christi Parson. Hey. Christi Parson。嘿。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President, and congratulations, by the way. 问：谢谢总统先生，顺便说一句，祝贺您。
President Obama: Thanks. 奥巴马总统：谢谢。
Question: One quick follow up -- 问：一个简短的后续——
President Obama: Christi was there when I was running for state Senate. 奥巴马总统：Christi在我竞选州参议员时就在那里。
Question: That’s right, I was. 问：没错，我在。
President Obama: So Christi and I go back a ways. 奥巴马总统：所以Christi和我认识很久了。
Question: I've never seen you lose. I wasn't looking that one time. 问：我从没见过你输。有一次我没注意看。
President Obama: There you go. 奥巴马总统：你说得对。
Question: One quick follow-up, and then I want to ask you about Iran. I just want to make sure I understood what you said. Can you envision any scenario in which we do go off the fiscal cliff at the end of the year? 问：一个简短的后续，然后我想问您关于伊朗的问题。我只是想确认我理解了您说的话。您能设想任何我们在年底跌落财政悬崖的情况吗？
And on Iran, are you preparing a final diplomatic push here to resolve the nuclear program issue, and are we headed toward one-on-one talks? 关于伊朗，您是否在准备一次最后的外交推动来解决核项目问题，我们是否正走向一对一谈判？
President Obama: Well, obviously, we can all imagine a scenario where we go off the fiscal cliff. If despite the election, if despite the dangers of going over the fiscal cliff and what that means for our economy, that there’s too much stubbornness in Congress that we can't even agree on giving middle-class families a tax cut, then middle-class families are all going to end up having a big tax hike. 奥巴马总统：嗯，显然，我们都能想象到跌落财政悬崖的情况。如果尽管有了选举结果，尽管跌落财政悬崖的危险及其对经济的影响，国会中仍有太多固执，以至于我们甚至无法就为中产阶级家庭减税达成一致，那么中产阶级家庭最终都将面临大幅增税。
And that’s going to be a pretty rude shock for them, and I suspect will have a big impact on the holiday shopping season, which, in turn, will have an impact on business planning and hiring, and we can go back into a recession. 这对他们来说将是一个相当大的冲击，我预计会对假日购物季产生重大影响，进而影响企业的规划和招聘，我们可能会重新陷入衰退。
It would be a bad thing. It is not necessary. So I want to repeat: Step number one that we can take in the next couple of weeks, provide certainty to middle-class families -- 98 percent of families who make less than $250,000 a year, 97 percent of small businesses -- that their taxes will not go up a single dime next year. Give them that certainty right now. We can get that done. 那将是一件坏事。这并不是不可避免的。所以我想重复：我们在未来几周可以采取的第一步，就是为中产阶级家庭提供确定性——年收入低于25万美元的98%的家庭，97%的小企业——他们明年的税收不会增加一分一毫。现在就给他们这种确定性。我们能做到。
We can then set up a structure whereby we are dealing with tax reform, closing deductions, closing loopholes, simplifying, dealing with entitlements. And I’m ready and willing to make big commitments to make sure that we’re locking in the kind of deficit reductions that stabilize our deficit, start bringing it down, start bringing down our debt. I’m confident we can do it. 然后我们可以建立一个框架，来处理税收改革、取消减免、堵住漏洞、简化制度、处理福利项目。我已准备好并愿意做出重大承诺，确保我们锁定那种能稳定赤字、开始降低赤字、开始降低债务的赤字削减。我有信心我们能做到。
And, look, I’ve been living with this for a couple of years now. I know the math pretty well. And it really is arithmetic; it’s not calculus. There are some tough things that have to be done, but there is a way of doing this that does not hurt middle-class families, that does not hurt our seniors, doesn’t hurt families with disabled kids, allows us to continue to invest in those things that make us grow, like basic research and education, helping young people afford going to college. 而且，听着，我已经和这件事相处了几年了。我对这些数字很了解。这真的是算术，不是微积分。有一些艰难的事情必须做，但有一种方式可以做到不伤害中产阶级家庭，不伤害我们的老年人，不伤害有残疾孩子的家庭，同时让我们能够继续投资那些促进我们增长的事情，比如基础研究和教育，帮助年轻人负担得起上大学。
As we’ve already heard from some Republican commentators, a modest tax increase on the wealthy is not going to break their backs; they’ll still be wealthy. And it will not impinge on business investment. 正如我们已经从一些共和党评论人士那里听到的，对富人适度增税不会压垮他们；他们仍然会是富人。这也不会影响企业投资。
So we know how to do this. This is just a matter of whether or not we come together and go ahead and say, Democrats and Republicans, we’re both going to hold hands and do what’s right for the American people. And I hope that’s what happens. 所以我们知道如何做到。这只是我们是否能走到一起，然后说，民主党和共和党，我们要携手为美国人民做正确的事。我希望最终如此。
With respect to Iran, I very much want to see a diplomatic resolution to the problem. I was very clear before the campaign, I was clear during the campaign, and I’m now clear after the campaign -- we’re not going to let Iran get a nuclear weapon. But I think there is still a window of time for us to resolve this diplomatically. We’ve imposed the toughest sanctions in history. It is having an impact on Iran’s economy. 关于伊朗，我非常希望看到这个问题的外交解决方案。我在竞选之前就很明确，竞选期间很明确，现在竞选之后也很明确——我们不会让伊朗获得核武器。但我认为我们仍然有一个时间窗口来通过外交途径解决这个问题。我们实施了历史上最严厉的制裁。这正在对伊朗经济产生影响。
There should be a way in which they can enjoy peaceful nuclear power while still meeting their international obligations and providing clear assurances to the international community that they’re not pursuing a nuclear weapon. 应该有一种方式让他们能够享有和平利用核能的权利，同时履行其国际义务，并向国际社会提供明确保证，表明他们没有在追求核武器。
And so, yes, I will try to make a push in the coming months to see if we can open up a dialogue between Iran and not just us, but the international community, to see if we can get this things resolved. I can’t promise that Iran will walk through the door that they need to walk through, but that would be very much the preferable option. 因此，是的，我将在未来几个月努力推动，看看我们能否开启伊朗与我们以及国际社会之间的对话，看看我们能否解决这个问题。我不能保证伊朗会走进他们需要走进的那扇门，但这将是非常可取的选择。
Question: And under what circumstances would one-on-one conversations take place? 问：在什么情况下会进行一对一对话？
President Obama: I won’t talk about the details in negotiations. But I think it’s fair to say we want to get this resolved, and we’re not going to be constrained by diplomatic niceties or protocols. If Iran is serious about wanting to resolve this, they’ll be in a position to resolve it. 奥巴马总统：我不会讨论谈判的细节。但我认为可以这样说，我们希望解决这个问题，我们不会被外交礼节或程序所束缚。如果伊朗真的想解决这一问题，他们就有能力解决它。
Question: At one point just prior to the election that was talk that talks might be imminent. 问：在大选之前曾有说法称谈判可能即将开始。
President Obama: That was not true, and it’s not true as of today. 奥巴马总统：那不是真的，到今天为止也不是真的。
Just going to knock through a couple others. Mark Landler. Where’s Mark? There he is right in front of me. 再回答几个问题。Mark Landler。Mark在哪里？他就在我面前。
Question: Thank you, Mr. President. In his endorsement of you a few weeks ago, Mayor Bloomberg said he was motivated by the belief that you would do more to confront the threat of climate change than your opponent. Tomorrow you’re going up to New York City where you’re going to, I assume, see people who are still suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy, which many people say is further evidence of how a warming globe is changing our weather. What specifically do you plan to do in a second term to tackle the issue of climate change? 问：谢谢总统先生。几周前Bloomberg市长在为您背书时说，他之所以这样做，是因为相信您在应对气候变化威胁方面会比您的对手做得更多。明天您将前往纽约市，我猜您将去看望那些仍在遭受飓风Sandy影响的人们，很多人说这是全球变暖正在改变我们天气的进一步证据。在第二任期，您具体计划做什么来应对气候变化问题？
And do you think the political will exists in Washington to pass legislation that could include some kind of attacks on carbon? 您认为华盛顿是否存在政治意愿，通过可能包括某种碳税的立法？
President Obama: As you know, Mark, we can’t attribute any particular weather event to climate change. What we do know is the temperature around the globe is increasing faster than was predicted even 10 years ago. We do know that the Arctic ice cap is melting faster than was predicted even five years ago. We do know that there have been extraordinarily -- there have been an extraordinarily large number of severe weather events here in North America, but also around the globe. 奥巴马总统：Mark，正如你所知，我们不能将任何特定的天气事件归因于气候变化。我们确实知道的是，全球气温上升的速度比哪怕十年前的预测还要快。我们确实知道，北极冰盖融化的速度比哪怕五年前的预测还要快。我们确实知道，在北美乃至全球范围内，极端天气事件的数量异常之多。
And I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior and carbon emissions. And as a consequence, I think we've got an obligation to future generations to do something about it. 我坚信气候变化是真实的，它受到人类行为和碳排放的影响。因此，我认为我们有义务为子孙后代做点什么。
Now, in my first term, we doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars and trucks. That will have an impact. That will take a lot of carbon out of the atmosphere. We doubled the production of clean energy, which promises to reduce the utilization of fossil fuels for power generation. And we continue to invest in potential breakthrough technologies that could further remove carbon from our atmosphere. But we haven't done as much as we need to. 在我的第一任期，我们将汽车和卡车的燃油效率标准提高了一倍。这将会产生影响。这将减少大气中大量的碳。我们将清洁能源产量提高了一倍，有望减少发电对化石燃料的依赖。我们继续投资于潜在的突破性技术，这些技术可能进一步从大气中去除碳。但我们做得还不够。
So what I'm going to be doing over the next several weeks, next several months, is having a conversation, a wide-ranging conversation with scientists, engineers, and elected officials to find out what can -- what more can we do to make a short-term progress in reducing carbons, and then working through an education process that I think is necessary -- a discussion, a conversation across the country about what realistically can we do long term to make sure that this is not something we're passing on to future generations that's going to be very expensive and very painful to deal with. 因此，在接下来的几周和几个月里，我将与科学家、工程师和民选官员进行广泛的对话，了解我们还能做些什么来在短期内减少碳排放，然后通过一个我认为必要的教育过程——在全国范围内展开讨论和对话，探讨我们现实地能在长期做些什么，以确保这不是我们留给子孙后代的、将会非常昂贵和痛苦的问题。
I don't know what either Democrats or Republicans are prepared to do at this point, because this is one of those issues that's not just a partisan issue; I also think there are regional differences. There’s no doubt that for us to take on climate change in a serious way would involve making some tough political choices. 我不知道民主党和共和党在目前准备做什么，因为这不仅是一个党派问题；我认为还存在地区差异。毫无疑问，我们要认真应对气候变化，就需要做出一些艰难的政治抉择。
And understandably, I think the American people right now have been so focused, and will continue to be focused on our economy and jobs and growth, that if the message is somehow we're going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don't think anybody is going to go for that. I won't go for that. 可以理解的是，我认为美国人民目前如此专注于——并将继续专注于——我们的经济、就业和增长，如果传递的信息是我们为了应对气候变化而要忽视就业和增长，我不认为任何人会接受。我也不会接受。
If, on the other hand, we can shape an agenda that says we can create jobs, advance growth, and make a serious dent in climate change and be an international leader, I think that's something that the American people would support. 另一方面，如果我们能制定一个既能创造就业、促进增长，又能切实减少气候变化影响并成为国际领导者的议程，我认为这是美国人民会支持的。
So you can expect that you’ll hear more from me in the coming months and years about how we can shape an agenda that garners bipartisan support and helps move this agenda forward. 所以你们可以期待，在未来几个月和几年里，你们会更多地听到我关于如何制定一个获得两党支持并推动这个议程向前发展的方案。
Question: Sounds like you're saying, though, in the current environment, we're probably still short of a consensus on some kind of attack. 问：听起来您是在说，在当前环境下，我们可能还没有就某种征税达成共识。
President Obama: That I'm pretty certain of. And, look, we're still trying to debate whether we can just make sure that middle-class families don't get a tax hike. Let’s see if we can resolve that. That should be easy. This one is hard -- but it’s important because one of the things that we don't always factor in are the costs involved in these natural disasters; we just put them off as something that's unconnected to our behavior right now. 奥巴马总统：这点我相当确定。而且，听着，我们还在争论能否确保中产阶级家庭不被加税。让我们先看看能否解决这个问题。这应该是容易的。这个很难——但它很重要，因为我们并不总是把这些自然灾害中涉及的成本纳入考量；我们只是把它们当作与我们现在的行为无关的事情而搁置一旁。
And I think what -- based on the evidence we're seeing, is that what we do now is going to have an impact and a cost down the road if we don’t do something about it. 我认为——基于我们正在看到的证据——如果我们现在不采取行动，我们现在所做的将会在未来产生影响和代价。
All right, last question. Mark Felsenthal. Where’s Mark? 好，最后一个问题。Mark Felsenthal。Mark在哪里？
Question: Thank you. Mr. President, the Assad regime is engaged in a brutal crackdown on its people. France has recognized the opposition coalition. What would it take for the United States to do the same? And is there any point at which the United States would consider arming the rebels? 问：谢谢。总统先生，Assad政权正在对本国人民进行残酷镇压。法国已经承认了反对派联盟。美国要做出同样举动需要什么条件？在什么情况下美国会考虑向叛军提供武器？
President Obama: I was one of the first leaders I think around the world to say Assad had to go, in response to the incredible brutality that his government displayed in the face of what were initially peaceful protests. 奥巴马总统：我认为我是世界上最早说Assad必须下台的领导人之一，这是对他政府面对最初是和平抗议时展现出的令人难以置信的暴行的回应。
Obviously, the situation in Syria has deteriorated since then. We have been extensively engaged with the international community as well as regional powers to help the opposition. We have committed to hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to help folks both inside of Syria and outside of Syria. We are constantly consulting with the opposition on how they can get organized so that they’re not splintered and divided in the face of the onslaught from the Assad regime. 显然，从那以后叙利亚的局势恶化了。我们与国际社会以及地区大国进行了广泛接触以帮助反对派。我们已承诺提供数亿美元的人道主义援助，帮助叙利亚境内和境外的人们。我们不断与反对派协商如何组织起来，这样他们在面对Assad政权的猛攻时就不会分崩离析。
We are in very close contact with countries like Turkey and Jordan that immediately border Syria and have an impact -- and obviously Israel, which is having already grave concerns, as we do, about, for example, movements of chemical weapons that might occur in such a chaotic atmosphere and that could have an impact not just within Syria, but on the region as a whole. 我们与土耳其和约旦等与叙利亚直接接壤且有影响力的国家保持密切联系——显然还有以色列，以色列和我们一样，已经对例如在如此混乱的环境下可能发生的化学武器转移深感忧虑，这可能不仅影响叙利亚境内，还可能影响整个地区。
I’m encouraged to see that the Syrian opposition created an umbrella group that may have more cohesion than they’ve had in the past. We’re going to be talking to them. My envoys are going to be traveling to various meetings that are going to be taking place with the international community and the opposition. 我受到鼓舞地看到，叙利亚反对派组建了一个伞形组织，可能比过去更有凝聚力。我们将与他们对话。我的特使将参加国际社会与反对派之间即将举行的各类会议。
We consider them a legitimate representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people. We’re not yet prepared to recognize them as some sort of government in exile, but we do think that it is a broad-based representative group. One of the questions that we’re going to continue to press is making sure that that opposition is committed to a democratic Syria, an inclusive Syria, a moderate Syria. 我们认为他们是叙利亚人民愿望的合法代表。我们尚不准备承认他们为某种流亡政府，但我们确实认为这是一个具有广泛基础的代表性组织。我们将继续追问的一个问题是确保反对派致力于建设一个民主的叙利亚、一个包容的叙利亚、一个温和的叙利亚。
We have seen extremist elements insinuate themselves into the opposition, and one of the things that we have to be on guard about -- particularly when we start talking about arming opposition figures -- is that we’re not indirectly putting arms in the hands of folks who would do Americans harm, or do Israelis harm, or otherwise engage in actions that are detrimental to our national security. 我们已经看到极端主义分子混入反对派，我们必须警惕的一件事——特别是当我们开始讨论向反对派提供武器时——就是我们不能间接地将武器交到那些会伤害美国人、伤害以色列人或以其他方式从事损害我们国家安全活动的人手中。
So we're constantly probing and working on that issue. The more engaged we are, the more we'll be in a position to make sure that we are encouraging the most moderate, thoughtful elements of the opposition that are committed to inclusion, observance of human rights, and working cooperatively with us over the long term. 因此我们不断在探索和努力处理这个问题。我们越是参与其中，就越能确保我们鼓励的是反对派中最温和、最有思想的那些人，他们致力于包容、尊重人权，并愿意与我们长期合作。
Thank you very much. 非常感谢。
Question: -- spending side of the fiscal cliff. On spending, the $1.2 trillion trigger, is that something that you can see having a short-term component -- because I remember you said it's not happening -- 问：——财政悬崖的支出方面。关于支出，那1.2万亿美元的自动削减，您是否认为它可以有一个短期组成部分——因为我记得您说过这不会发生——
President Obama: That was a great question, but it would be a horrible precedent for me to answer your question just because you yelled it out. 奥巴马总统：这是一个很好的问题，但如果仅仅因为你大声喊出来我就回答你的问题，那将开一个很糟糕的先例。
So thank you very much, guys. 非常感谢大家。