Farewell message: Obama and Congress
In his final state-of-the-union address today, Barack Obama will trumpet his record and offer a sunny vision of America’s future. Both need talking up—so polarised, ill-tempered and pessimistic is the political environment in which the president’s two-term tenure is winding down. Castigating Mr Obama as a lily-livered socialist tyrant, contenders for the Republican presidential nomination vow to scrap his achievements in health-care reform and pollution control. Co-operation between Mr Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress is almost over; he will announce no big measure requiring congressional approval. He will instead cast his prognostications further forward, in divining the fairer, safer America he sees emerging under liberal stewardship. Indeed America is in much better shape than the president’s detractors pretend. Yet his likeliest Democratic successor, Hillary Clinton, will not thank him for predicting anything too specific: she wants to keep her distance from Mr Obama’s divisive record.
词汇：
- record
- state-of-the-union address：国情咨文演讲
- trumpet:喇叭；宣告
- polarized:极化的（两极分化）
- ill-tempered
- pessimistic：悲观的
- tenure 任期
- wind down:to diminish or cause to diminish gradually in energy, intensity, or scope.
- castigate:怒骂，斥责
- contender
- lily-livered:胆怯的
- nomination：提名
- prognostication：预言预测
- detractor:贬低者 诋毁者
- divisive
试翻译：
告别词：奥巴马和国会
在今天最后一次的国情咨文演讲中，奥巴马将会宣传他达成的成就和美国的光明未来。这两者都需要对话实现，而奥巴马的余下的任期将在两极分化的、充满火药味的、悲观的政治环境中落下帷幕。共和党总统候选人怒骂奥巴马是个胆怯的社会主义暴君,并发誓要废掉奥巴马在医改和控制环境污染上的成就。奥巴马和共和党控制的国会的合作已经近乎结束，凡是需要国会许可的重大措施他都没法再宣布了。而奥巴马会进而预言说，在民主党人的管理之下会有一个更公平更安全的美国。的确，美国现在的样子还是比总统先生的贬低者所宣称的要好。不过，奥巴马最有可能的继任者——希拉里克林顿应该不会对他任何具体的预言心存感激——她希望和奥巴马有争议的成就保持距离。
From The Economist Espresso: Farewell message: Obama and Congress
http://econ.st/1IZ0BvO
