Rice Pledges Full Support for Obama Staff Transition at State Department
赖斯保证国务院工作平稳交接
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday said she will do all she can assure a smooth transition for the incoming Obama administration. Detailed preparations for the handover at the nation's foreign affairs agency are already underway.
美国国务卿赖斯星期三说，她将尽其所能，保证与当选总统奥巴马的政府顺利交接。与此同时，负责美国外交事务的美国国务院已经开始准备交接工作的细节。
Rice, the Bush administration's highest-ranking African American official, is hailing the election of the United States' first African-American President, and is pledging to do all she can to make the State Department transition as smooth as possible.
布什政府中级别最高的非洲裔美国官员国务卿赖斯盛赞美国选出第一位非洲裔总统，并保证她将尽力使国务院的过渡平稳进行。
In comments to reporters, Rice called President-elect Obama inspirational and Republican candidate John McCain gracious in defeat. She said Tuesday's election was an exercise in democracy in which all Americans can be justifiably proud, especially those of African descent.
赖斯在回答记者问题的时候说，当选总统奥巴马富有鼓舞人的力量，共和党总统候选人麦凯恩虽败犹荣。她说，星期二的选举是一场民主实践，参加这场实践的所有美国人都有理由感到自豪，尤其是那些非洲人的后裔。
"As African American, I'm especially proud because this is a country that has been through a long journey in terms of overcoming wounds and making race not the factor in our lives. That work is not done, but yesterday was obviously an extraordinary step forward," said Rice.
赖斯说：“作为一个非洲裔美国人，我感到特别自豪，因为这个国家经过了漫长的道路，克服了创伤，使种族因素不再影响我们的生活。虽然这项工作尚未完成，但昨天显然是前进了一大步。”
Earlier Wednesday, State Department officials made a final walk-through inspection of a large suite of offices here that will accommodate the Obama administration's foreign policy transition team within a matter of days.
星期三早些时候，美国国务院官员对一大批办公室进行了最后检查，奥巴马政府外交政策过渡小组将在几天之内来这里办公。
Extensive briefing books will await the Obama team, covering everything from the status of key foreign policy issues to the management of the vast department, which has more than 20,000 employees -- half of them overseas.
等待奥巴马国务院过渡小组的是大量简报，内容从关键的外交政策问题现状到这个大部门的管理。美国国务院有两万名员工，其中一半在海外。
The Obama State Department transition team has more than 200 members, including several key foreign policy figures from past Democratic administrations.
奥巴马的国务院过渡小组有200多个成员，包括过去历届民主党政府的几位主要外交政策官员。
The President-elect is expected to announce his choice for Secretary of State early in the transition period.
当选总统奥巴马将在过渡时期早期宣布他的国务卿人选。
Although Mr. Obama has been non-committal, press speculation has focused on Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator Richard Lugar -- both colleagues of the President-elect on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
虽然奥巴马守口如瓶，但媒体的猜测集中在民主党参议员约翰·克里和共和党参议员理查德·卢格身上。他们俩是奥巴马在美国参议院外交关系委员会的同事。
Former Clinton administration diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke, a key figure in 1990's Balkans peace efforts, is also a reported contender for Secretary of State.
据报道，前克林顿政府专门排解外交难题的理查德·霍尔布鲁克也是国务卿的热门人选。他曾经是上个世纪90年代巴尔干地区和平努力的关键人物。
The current Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, is running the transition effort, with 24 State Department employees at work expediting security clearances and employment paperwork for incoming Obama transition members.
美国国务院负责政治事务的国务次卿伯恩斯正在进行交接工作。与此同时，24位国务院的工作人员正在加快对奥巴马过渡班子成员进行安全审查和就业文件的审核。
