Thank you very much, Mr. President. 非常感谢，议长先生。
Mr. President, on Thursdays Senator Durbin and I hold a constituent coffee so we can hear from the folks back home. A young man came a few months ago who was about 25, 26 years old. He had been in Iraq for a year -- The first -- He had been back from Iraq for a year. The first six months of that year had been spent in a coma. An explosion had shattered his face, blinded him in both eyes, has left him without the use of one arm. 议长先生，每周四德宾参议员和我都会举行一次选民咖啡会，以便倾听家乡民众的声音。几个月前来了一个年轻人，大约二十五六岁。他曾在伊拉克服役一年——第一个——他从伊拉克回来已经一年了。那一年的前六个月他都处于昏迷中。一次爆炸击碎了他的面容，使他双目失明，并让他失去了一只胳膊的活动能力。
He talked to us about how he was going through rehab. He introduced us to his family. He has a wife and two young daughters like I do, and his wife talked for a bit about the adjustments they were making at home since dad got hurt. And I found myself looking at not just him, but his wife, who loves him so much. And I thought about how their lives were forever changed because of the decision that was carried out four years ago. 他向我们讲述了自己如何进行康复训练。他向我们介绍了他的家人。他像我一样有一个妻子和两个小女儿，他的妻子谈了一会儿自从爸爸受伤后他们在家里所做的调整。我发现自己不仅看着他，也看着如此爱他的妻子。我想着，他们的生活是如何因为四年前所做的那项决定而永远改变了。
The sacrifices of war are immeasurable. I first made this point in the fall of 2002, at the end of the speech that I gave opposing the invasion of Iraq. I said then that I certainly do not oppose all wars. Rather, I oppose dumb wars, rash wars, wars that are based on passion as opposed to wars based on a sober assessment of our national security interests, because there's no decision more profound than the one we make to send our brave men and women into harm's way. 战争的牺牲是无法估量的。我早在2002年秋天就首次阐明了这一点，那是在我发表反对入侵伊拉克的演讲结尾。我当时说，我当然并不反对一切战争。相反，我反对的是愚蠢的战争、鲁莽的战争、基于激情而非基于对我国国家安全利益冷静评估的战争，因为没有任何决定比派遣我们勇敢的男女将士赴汤蹈火更为重大。
I've thought about these words from time to time since that speech, but never so much as the day I saw that young man and his wife, and understood the degree to which their lives had been turn upside down. 自那篇演讲以来，我时常想起这些话，但从未像看到那位年轻人和他妻子的那天那样深切地想起，我理解到他们的生活已被彻底颠覆。
The sacrifices of war are immeasurable. Too many have returned from Iraq with that soldier's story -- with broken bodies and shattered nerves and wounds that even the best care may not heal. Too many of our best have come home shrouded in the flag they loved. Too many moms and dads and husbands and wives have answered that knock on the door that's hardest for any loved one to hear. And the rest of us have seen too many promises of swift victories and dying insurgencies and budding democracy giving way to the reality of a brutal civil war that goes on and on and on to this day. 战争的牺牲是无法估量的。太多的人带着那位士兵的故事从伊拉克归来——带着残破的身躯、崩溃的神经，以及即便最好的医护也未必能治愈的创伤。太多我们最优秀的儿女裹着他们所爱的国旗回国。太多的父母和伉俪听到了那对任何挚爱之人而言最难以承受的敲门声。而我们其他人，也看到了太多关于速胜、叛乱末路与民主萌芽的承诺，让位于一场至今仍在持续、不断蔓延的残酷内战的现实。
The sacrifices of war, Mr. President, are immeasurable. It was not impossible to see back then that we might arrive at the place we're at today. I said then that a war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics would lead to a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. 议长先生，战争的牺牲是无法估量的。当时并非不可能预见我们可能会走到今天这步田地。我那时就说过，一场不基于理智而基于激情、不基于原则而基于政治的战争，将导致一场期限未定、代价未定、后果未定的美国占领。
I believed that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale or strong international support would only strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda and erode the good standing and moral authority that took our country generations to build. There were other experts and leaders and everyday Americans who believed this too. 我曾相信，在没有明确理由或强大国际支持的情况下入侵伊拉克，只会壮大基地组织的招募力量，并侵蚀我国花了几代人才建立起来的良好声誉和道德权威。当时也有其他专家、领导人和普通美国人持有同样的信念。
I wish I had been wrong. I wish we weren't here talking about this at the beginning of the war's fifth year -- because the consequences of this war have been profound. And the sacrifices have been immeasurable. 我希望我错了。我希望我们不是在战争第五个年头伊始就在这里谈论这件事——因为这场战争的后果是深远的。而牺牲是无法估量的。
Mr. President, those who would have us continue this war in perpetuity like to say that this is a matter of resolve on behalf of the American people. But the American people have been extraordinarily resolved. They've seen their sons and daughters killed and wounded on the streets of Fallujah. They've spent hundreds of billions of dollars on this effort -- money that could have been devoted to strengthening our homeland and our competitive standing as a nation. 议长先生，那些要我们把这场战争无限期进行下去的人喜欢说，这是美国人民决心的问题。但美国人民已经表现出了非凡的决心。他们看着自己的儿女在费卢杰的街头伤亡。他们为这项行动花费了数千亿美元——这些钱本可用于加强我们的国土安全和我们国家的竞争力。
It is not a failure of resolve that has led us into this chaos but a failed strategy -- a strategy that has only strengthened Iran's strategic position, increased threats posed by terrorist organizations, reduced U.S. credibility and influence around the world, and placed Israel and other nations [friendly] to the United States in the region in greater peril. 把我们引入这场混乱的不是决心的失败，而是失败的战略——这一战略只加强了伊朗的战略地位，加剧了恐怖组织构成的威胁，削弱了美国在世界各地的信誉和影响力，并使以色列及该地区其他亲美国家陷入更大的危险。
Iraq has not been a failure of resolve; it has been a failure of strategy -- and that strategy must change. It is time to bring a responsible end to U.S. involvement in this conflict is now. 伊拉克不是决心的失败，而是战略的失败——这一战略必须改变。现在是为美国结束卷入这场冲突负责任地画上句号的时候了。
It's become apparent, Mr. President, that there's no military solution to this war. No amount of U.S. soldiers -- not 10,000 more, not 20,000 more, not almost 30,000 more than we know -- that we know we are sending -- can solve the grievances that lay at the heart of someone else's civil war. Our troops cannot serve as their diplomats, and we can no longer referee their civil war. We must begin a phased withdrawal of our forces starting May 1st, with the goal of removing all combat forces by March 30th, 2008. 议长先生，情况已经很清楚，这场战争没有军事解决办法。再多的美国士兵——不是增加一万，不是增加两万，也不是我们所知的我们正在派遣的近三万人——都无法解决别人内战核心的怨怼。我们的军队无法充当他们的外交官，我们也无法再为他们的内战当裁判。我们必须从5月1日开始分阶段撤军，目标是到2008年3月30日撤出全部战斗部队。
We also must make sure that we're not as careless getting out of this war as we were getting in, and that's why this withdrawal should be gradual, and maintain some U.S. troops in the region to prevent a wider war in the region, while they can also work on going after Al Qaeda and other terrorists. But this phased withdrawal, Mr. President, must begin soon. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Iraqis to take ownership of their country and bring an end to their conflict. It is time for our troops to start coming home. 我们还必须确保，我们在撤出这场战争时不像我们卷入时那样漫不经心，这就是为什么这次撤军应当是渐进的，并在该地区保留部分美军以防止该地区爆发更大规模的战争，同时他们也可以继续追捕基地组织和其他恐怖分子。但议长先生，这一分阶段撤军必须尽快开始。让伊拉克人知道我们不会永远在那里，是我们向伊拉克人施压、让他们承担起自己国家的责任并结束冲突的最后的、最好的希望。现在是我们军队开始回家的时候了。
History will not judge, Mr. President, the architects of this war kindly. But the books have yet to be written on our effort to right the wrongs we see in Iraq. The story has yet to be told about how we turned from this moment, found our way out of the desert, and took to heart the lessons of war that too many refused to heed back then; for it is of little use or comfort to recall past advice and warnings if we do not allow them to guide us in the challenges that lie ahead. 议长先生，历史不会对这场战争的设计者仁慈以待。但关于我们纠正伊拉克所见错误的努力，历史之书尚未写就。关于我们如何从这一刻转向、走出沙漠、铭记太多人当年拒绝听从的战争教训的故事，也尚未讲述；因为如果我们不让过去的忠告和警告指引我们面对前方的挑战，那么回忆它们便毫无用处或慰藉。
Mr. President, threats loom large in an age where terrorist networks thrive, and there will certainly be times when we have to call on our brave servicemen and women to risk their lives again. 议长先生，在一个恐怖网络猖獗的时代，威胁巨大，必然会有需要我们召唤勇敢的男女军人再次冒生命危险的时刻。
But before we make that most profound of all decisions, before we send our best off to battle, we must remember what led us to this day and learn from the principles that follow. 但在我们做出那最重大的决定之前，在我们派遣最优秀的儿女上战场之前，我们必须记住是什么把我们带到了今天，并从下列原则中汲取教训。
We must remember that ideology is not a foreign policy. We must not embark on a war based on untested theories, political agendas, or wishful thinking that has basis -- that has little basis in fact or reality. We must focus our efforts on the threats we know exist, and we must evaluate those threats with sound intelligence that is never manipulated for political reasons. 我们必须记住，意识形态不是外交政策。我们绝不应基于未经检验的理论、政治议程，或与事实和现实几乎无关的一厢情愿而发动战争。我们必须把精力集中在我们知道确实存在的威胁上，并用以绝不因政治原因而被操纵的可靠情报来评估这些威胁。
Mr. President, we must remember that the cost of going it alone is immense. It is a choice we sometimes have to make, but one [that] must be made rarely and always reluctantly. That's because America's standing in the world is a precious resource not easily rebuilt. We value the cooperation and goodwill of other nations not because it makes us feel good, but because it makes all the world safer; because the only way to battle 21st century threats that race across the borders -- threats like terror and disease and nuclear proliferation -- is to enlist the resources and support of all nations. 议长先生，我们必须记住，单打独斗的代价是巨大的。这是我们有时不得不做出的选择，但必须很少做出，且总是勉为其难。这是因为美国在世界上的地位是一种不易重建的珍贵资源。我们重视其他国家的合作与善意，不是因为它让我们感觉良好，而是因为它让整个世界更安全；因为应对跨越国界的21世纪威胁——如恐怖、疾病和核扩散——的唯一途径，是争取所有国家的资源和支持。
To win our wider struggle, we must let people across this planet know that there is another, more hopeful alternative to the hateful ideologies the terrorists espouse -- and renewed -- and a renewed America will reflect and champion that vision. 要赢得更广泛的斗争，我们必须让这个星球上的人们知道，除了恐怖分子所信奉的仇恨意识形态之外，还有另一种更有希望的替代选择——一个焕然一新的美国将体现并捍卫这一愿景。
Mr. President, we must remember that planning for peace is just as critical as planning for war. Iraq was not just a failure of conception but a failure of execution, and so when a conflict does arise that requires our involvement, we must understand that country's history, its politics, its ethnic and religious divisions before our troops ever set foot on its soil. 议长先生，我们必须记住，为和平做规划与为战争做规划同样关键。伊拉克不仅是构想的失败，也是执行的失败，因此当确实出现需要我们介入的冲突时，在我们的军队踏上那片土地之前，我们必须了解那个国家的历史、政治、种族和宗教分歧。
We must understand that setting up ballot boxes does not a democracy make -- that real freedom and real stability come from doing the hard work of helping to build a strong police force, and a legitimate government, and ensuring that people have food, and water, and electricity, and basic services. And we must be honest about how much of that we can do ourselves and how much must come from the people themselves. 我们必须明白，设立投票箱并不等于建立民主——真正的自由和真正的稳定来自于做艰苦的工作，帮助建立一支强有力的警察部队、一个合法的政府，并确保人民有食物、水、电力和基本服务。我们还必须诚实面对：其中多少是我们自己能做的，多少必须来自人民自身。
Finally, Mr. President, we must remember that when we send our servicemen and women to war, we make sure we give them the training they need, and the equipment that will keep them safe, and a mission that they can accomplish. We must respect our commanders' advice not just when its politically convenient, but even when it's not what we want to hear. And when our troops come home, it is our most solemn responsibility to make sure they come home to the services, and the benefits, and the care they deserve. 最后，议长先生，我们必须记住，当我们派遣男女军人去打仗时，我们要确保给予他们所需的训练、能保障他们安全的装备，以及一个他们能够完成的使命。我们必须尊重指挥官们的建议，不仅是在政治上方便的时候，甚至是在那并非我们想听的时候。当我们的军队回国时，确保他们回到应得的服务、福利和照料之中，是我们最庄严的责任。
As we stand at the beginning of the fifth year of this war, Mr. President, let us remember -- let us remember that young man from Illinois, and his wife, and his daughters, and the thousands upon thousands of families who are living the very real consequences and immeasurable sacrifices that have come from our decision to invade Iraq. 议长先生，当我们站在这场战争第五个年头开始之际，让我们铭记——让我们铭记那位来自伊利诺伊州的年轻人，他的妻子和女儿们，以及成千上万正在承受我们入侵伊拉克这一决定所带来的真实后果和无法估量牺牲的家庭。
We are so blessed in this country to have so many men and women like this -- Americans willing to put on that uniform, and say the hard goodbyes, and risk their lives in a far off land because they know that such consequences and sacrifices are sometimes necessary to defend our country and achieve a lasting peace. 在这个国家，我们如此有幸拥有这么多这样的男女——这些美国人愿意穿上那身军装，说出艰难的道别，在遥远的异国他乡冒着生命危险，因为他们知道，这样的后果和牺牲有时是保卫我们国家、实现持久和平所必需的。
That is why we have no greater responsibility than to ensure the decision to place them in harm's way is the right one. And that is why we must learn the lessons of Iraq. It is what we owe our soldiers. It is what we owe their families. And it is what we owe our country -- now, and all the days and months to come. 正因如此，我们没有任何比确保把他们置于险境的决定是正确的更重大的责任。正因如此，我们必须汲取伊拉克的教训。这是我们欠士兵的。这是我们欠他们家人的。这也是我们欠我们国家的——现在，以及未来的所有日日夜夜。
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor. 谢谢您，议长先生。我让出发言权。