After umpteen months of caucuses， by-elections， primaries， media speculation and mud-slinging， the American Presidential Nomination season is over. Both sides have elected their champion， and each nominee has picked the person they want running alongside them as their number two. It's a game of contrasts and one-upmanship…and the results are quite surprising.

經(jīng)過數(shù)月的政黨會議、遞補選舉、初選、媒體猜測、言論攻擊，美國總統(tǒng)提名期已經(jīng)結束。兩黨都已選出各自的總統(tǒng)候選人，兩位候選人也都挑選出自己的競選拍檔。這是一場二者只取其一的激烈競爭……結果令人十分驚訝。

One way to look at the upcoming Presidential elections (to be held on 4th November) is as a boxing match – though whether it's going to be an honourable battle between noble pugilists or a down-in-the-mud， bare-knuckle， no-holds barred ruck is yet to be seen.

從某種角度來看，這即將到來的總統(tǒng)大選（將于11月4日舉行）就是場拳擊賽——雖然這究竟會是一場尊貴的拳擊手之間的光榮之戰(zhàn)還是場殘酷的街頭混戰(zhàn)還有待分曉。

The measurements have been taken， the gauntlet has been thrown down， and Democrats and Republicans are ready to slug it out in the political arena. To help make sense of what’s going on， Bilingual Time would like to introduce the four combatants who， whether we like it or not， are going to be making the news for the next month:

衡量各自重力，接受挑戰(zhàn)，兩黨準備在政壇上激戰(zhàn)到底。為幫助大家知曉其中實情，《雙語時代》將介紹這四位戰(zhàn)士，不管我們喜歡不喜歡，這四個人都將成為下月新聞的主角。

In The Blue Corner…

藍方……

Barack Obama， Junior Senator for Illinois

巴拉克#8226;奧巴馬，伊利諾州資淺議員

What is there left to say that hasn't already been said about Barack Obama? If elected， he stands to be the USA's first African-American president and much has been made of his youth and relative inexperience in the world of American politics.

關于巴拉克#8226;奧巴馬的還有什么沒有提到呢？那就是，如果當選，他必將成為美國第一位非洲裔美國總統(tǒng)，一位美國政史上年輕、經(jīng)驗相對欠缺的總統(tǒng)。

A graduate of both Harvard's Law School and Columbia University， Obama first broke onto the political scene in 2004 when he was elected to the Senate. Since then， nothing seems to be able to stop the ambitious young Senator: he announced his campaign for presidency in November 2007， and in August the Democrats confirmed him as their Presidential Nominee.

畢業(yè)于哈佛大學法學院及紐約哥倫比亞大學，奧巴馬在2004年選為參議員，首次進入政壇。從此，似乎沒什么可以阻擋這位雄心壯志的年輕議員。2007年11月奧巴馬宣布競選總統(tǒng)，今年8月民主黨提名他為總統(tǒng)候選人。

Coming from a mixed race background (his mother is from Wichita， Kansas， while his father is originally from Kenya) certainly hasn't hurt Obama's campaign any， and neither has his reputation as being one of the few politicians who intends to stick up for the common man. He has built his campaign on several key issues: withdrawal of troops from Iraq， energy dependency and national health care being among his top priorities.

奧巴馬的混血背景（母親來自肯薩斯州的威奇塔，父親來自肯尼亞本土）及他身為為平民尋求利益的少數(shù)政客之一的聲名絲毫沒有對他的競選產生負面影響。他高持幾個重大策略觀點展開競選，將這幾點列入優(yōu)先范圍，分別為：撤出駐伊美軍、擺脫對中東的石油依賴及國民醫(yī)療保健。

With his wife Michelle and his two children at his side， Obama is a youthful， charismatic and inspiring figure with a bright political career ahead of him. The question is， will his inexperience trip him up? Or is a fresh new face exactly what America needs in the Oval Office?

有著妻子馬歇爾及兩個孩子的支持，奧巴馬展現(xiàn)出一個年輕有為、魅力超凡、激情洋溢且擁有光明政治前景的人物形象。但問題是，他會不會因為缺乏政治經(jīng)驗而被絆倒？這真是美國總統(tǒng)辦公室需要的新鮮的面孔嗎？

Joseph Biden， Senior Senator for Delaware

約瑟夫#8226;拜登，特拉華州資深議員

Whatever Obama may lack in experience， Joseph Biden certainly makes up for it. A veteran campaigner and three-times candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination， Joe Biden has seen everything there is to see in the world of American politics. Elected to the Senate at the minimum age of 30 back in 1973， Biden has spent the last 35 years at the heart of Capitol Hill. From the start his career was filled with drama – his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash just prior to his taking office， and he was sworn in as senator beside his two sons' hospital beds.

奧巴馬確實缺少政治經(jīng)驗，但約瑟夫#8226;拜登足以彌補這他一軟肋。擁有豐富的競選經(jīng)驗，曾三次提名為民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人，約瑟夫#8226;拜登對美國政壇知悉甚詳。早在1973年，30歲的拜登年滿議員最低年齡標準，被選為議員，并在美國國會一待就是35年。他的政治生涯從一開始就呈戲劇性，妻子和女兒在他剛當選為參議員不久便喪身車禍，他在醫(yī)院里兩個兒子的病床邊宣誓就職。

Biden is currently serving his sixth term as a member of the Democratic Party. He has served for the sixth-longest period among current senators， and is Delaware's longest-serving senator.

這是拜登作為民主黨議員的第六任期。他在所有現(xiàn)任議員中年資排行第六，是特拉華州任期最長的議員。

During his time in politics， Biden has been a dedicated member of the Senate Foreign Relations committee， and is also a staunch advocate of support for AMTRAK， the American state railway network. His son is scheduled for a deployment to Iraq this year， and he has a palpable affection for Obama.

從政期間，拜登是專注的參議院外交關系委員會成員，同時也是一個堅定的“美鐵”（美國全國鐵路網(wǎng)）支持者。他的兒子今年被派遣到伊拉克，而且他很欣賞奧巴馬。

In all， Biden is an ideal counterfoil to Obama: older， experienced， calmer， yet just as good on the podium. Like his younger protégé he is charismatic and has the support of both Democrats and undecideds alike… could this be the ideal combination for the White House?

總之，拜登是奧巴馬的理想后盾：年長、老練、沉著、有指揮實力。就像由他輔助的年輕的奧巴馬一樣，他魅力四射，得到民主黨人及其它一些意向不定的選民的支持……他們的搭配能成為白宮需要的理想的組合嗎？

In the Red Corner…

紅方……

John McCain， Senior Senator for Arizona約翰#8226;麥凱恩，亞麗桑那州資深議員

John Sidney McCain III is about as far a cry from Barack Obama as the Republicans could possibly find. The 72-year-old war veteran has a distinguished military record， graduating from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958 and serving as an aircraft carrier pilot during the Vietnam War.

約翰#8226;西德尼#8226;麥凱恩三世，是共和黨可能找到的與奧巴馬最具懸殊的人選。這位72歲的越戰(zhàn)英雄有卓越的軍事記錄，1958年畢業(yè)于安納波利斯的美國海軍軍官學校，曾作為飛行員在越戰(zhàn)服役。

During the conflict， McCain’s plane was shot down and captured over Hanoi. He spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war before being released. Injuries incurred throughout the war and during his time as a prisoner have left him legally disabled.

在戰(zhàn)斗中，麥凱恩的戰(zhàn)機被擊落，并在河內被俘虜。他在越南做了幾乎7年的戰(zhàn)俘。他在戰(zhàn)爭及戰(zhàn)俘期間負傷，使他得到國家承認的殘疾證。

Since moving to politics in 1982， claiming he could do more there than in the Navy， McCain has been an influential figure in many areas of US policy. He is a vocal supporter for fighting the war in Iraq to a completion， but also has a reputation for being something of a maverick and not always conforming to the Republican party line. Unlike many Republicans， he expresses concerns over global warming and other environmental issues， and he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

自從1982年進入政壇以來，聲稱自己能夠在政界更有所作為的麥凱恩成為美國政界各個領域頗具影響力的人物。他強烈表態(tài)支持將伊戰(zhàn)打到底，但眾所周知，他特立獨行，所持的政見經(jīng)常脫離共和黨政治路線。不同于許多共和黨人，他關心全球變暖和環(huán)境問題，他還投票反對聯(lián)邦婚姻修正法。

In 2000， McCain lost the Republican presidential nominations to George W. Bush. Now it’s his turn to shine… but can his war record and support for agriculture stop Obama in his tracks?

2000年麥凱恩在共和黨總統(tǒng)提名選舉中敗給喬治#8226;W#8226;布什?，F(xiàn)在他又重出江湖……但是他的戰(zhàn)紀與對農業(yè)的支持能夠將奧巴馬攔截下來嗎？

Sarah Palin， Governor of Alaska薩拉#8226;帕林，阿拉斯加州州長

McCain’s choice as running mate surprised a lot of people and rounded off the somewhat mixed bag that makes up this years' election nominees. Only the second female to make a US election ticket， Sarah Palin is a rough-and-ready， outdoorsy type of girl renowned for her opposition to environmental restrictions on oil drilling and her love of hunting.

麥凱恩選帕林為競選副手震驚不少人，使今年提名候選人的復雜多樣性趨于完整。帕林是繼費拉洛之后美國歷來第二位獲提名擔任副總統(tǒng)候選人的女性。薩拉#8226;帕林性格豪放，她熱愛戶外運動，并以主張加大石油開采力度和酷愛打獵而聞名。

While many believe Palin's selection to be something of a risk， several members of McCain's camp see her as being key to the women's vote. A former beauty queen and competitor in the Miss Alaska pageant， Palin is expected to give some glitz and glam to an otherwise Old-Boys-Club-esque campaign.

許多人認為選擇帕林是一種冒險，而麥凱恩陣營則將她視為贏得女性選票的王牌。帕林曾是阿拉斯加選美皇后，帕林有望給這場由男人和老將角逐的競賽展示她所具有的光芒和魅力。

However， with her hard lines on religion， the teaching of creationism in schools and her lack of respect for the environment， could she possibly end up marginalising a lot of the women she's expected to win over? Or will her looks and appeal to the ultra-conservative be just what the Republicans need to cement another four years in the White House?

然而，她對宗教的強硬立場、神造天地論的教義及她對環(huán)境問題的不夠重視是否可能使她最終失去她預想贏得的女性支持者？她吸引人的外貌及她極端保守主義的傾向會是共和黨穩(wěn)固其繼續(xù)四年入主白宮所需嗎？