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US President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election was both inevitable and right. After his faltering performance in recent public appearances, Biden could no longer brush aside questions about his ability to serve four more years in office.
美国总统乔•拜登不寻求连任的决定是不可避免的，也是正确的。在最近的公开露面中表现不佳后，拜登再也无法对有关他是否有能力再执政四年的质疑置若罔闻。
By stepping aside now, Biden can retire with honour and a significant record of achievement as president. He has also ensured that American voters will have a proper choice in November. Millions of voters who have deep and justified concerns about Donald Trump would still have struggled to vote for a visibly declining president.
现在退位让贤，拜登可以带着荣誉和显著的总统成就退休。他还确保了美国选民在11月份将有一个适当的选择。数以百万计的选民对唐纳德•特朗普有着深刻而合理的担忧，但他们仍然难以将选票投给一位明显走下坡路的总统。
Biden has now thrown his support behind Kamala Harris, his vice-president. Democratic party leaders are rallying behind Harris and she is the overwhelming favourite to be the party’s candidate against Trump.
拜登现在支持他的副总统卡玛拉•哈里斯(Kamala Harris)。民主党领袖们正团结在哈里斯身后，她是党内对阵特朗普的绝对热门候选人。
The sudden elevation of the vice-president carries its own risks. Harris is an unproven candidate on the national stage. Her campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2020 flopped badly. Like most vice-presidents, she has struggled to establish herself as a strong figure in her own right.
副总统的突然擢升本身也有风险。哈里斯在全国舞台上是一个未经证实的候选人。她争取2020年民主党提名的竞选活动严重失败。与大多数副总统一样，她一直在努力树立自己的强势形象。
It would be preferable for Harris to face real competition for the Democratic party nomination. A proper contest would help to ensure that the Democrats select a candidate with a proven ability to appeal to a wide cross sections of voters and the political skills to take on Trump.
最好让哈里斯在民主党提名中面对真正的竞争。一场适当的竞选将有助于确保民主党选出一位被证明有能力吸引各阶层选民的候选人，并具备与特朗普较量的政治技巧。
But with just four weeks to go before the Democratic convention, and many party figures and donors expressing their support, it seems unlikely they will run primary elections. An open convention — in which candidates compete for the support of delegates — might generate public attention and give the eventual victor added legitimacy. But, in modern times, open conventions are also an untried process that could be a formula for chaos. There is also, as yet, little sign that other major players in the Democratic party are willing to step forward to challenge Harris for the nomination at this late stage.
但距离民主党全国代表大会仅剩四周时间，而且许多党内人士和捐助者都表示支持，他们似乎不太可能举行初选。开放式代表大会——候选人将争夺代表支持——可能会引起公众关注，并为最终的胜利者增加合法性。但是，在现代，开放式代表大会也是一个未经尝试的过程，可能会导致混乱。迄今为止，还没有迹象显示民主党的其他重要人物愿意在这个晚期阶段挑战哈里斯的提名。
Trump and the Republican party are already arguing that a coronation of Harris would be undemocratic. Yet the Democratic party can nominate whoever it likes as its candidate, provided it follows the law and the party rule-book. The voters will get their say on Harris — or whoever the Democrats select — in November.
特朗普和共和党已经在争辩说，哈里斯的加冕是不民主的。然而，民主党只要遵守法律和党章，就可以提名自己喜欢的人作为候选人。选民将在11月对哈里斯或民主党推选的任何人发表意见。
The Republicans are on surer ground when they raise the question of Biden’s continued fitness to serve as president. The obvious riposte to this is that there is a clear difference between serving out another six months as America’s chief executive and taking on another four-year term in office.
当共和党提出拜登是否继续适任总统的问题时，他们更有把握。显而易见的反驳是，再担任六个月的美国总统和再担任四年的总统显然是不同的。
Nonetheless, given the visible evidence of Biden’s decline and the responsibilities of the office, it would be advisable for the president to take medical tests to prove his physical and mental ability to continue in office. Those tests should be taken quickly and the results should be made public.
尽管如此，考虑到拜登身体衰退的明显迹象和总统职位的责任，总统应该接受体检，以证明他的身体和精神能力能够继续执政。这些检查应尽快进行，检查结果也应公布于众。
Despite the shock of Biden’s decision — and the legitimate questions surrounding Harris — the US, and the world, is now in a better position than it was last week.
尽管拜登的决定令人震惊——以及围绕哈里斯的合理质疑——但美国和世界现在的处境比上周要好。
Donald Trump is unsuited to be the next president of the United States. His efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election revealed the instincts and morals of a dictator. A succession of close aides of Trump during his first presidency have since denounced him — and underlined his moral and intellectual unfitness for high office. The foreign and economic policies that Trump is proposing for America are dangerous and incoherent.
唐纳德•特朗普不适合成为美国的下一任总统。他试图推翻2020年总统选举结果的努力暴露了独裁者的本能和道德。特朗普首任总统期间的亲信接二连三地谴责他，并强调他在道德和智力上都不适合担任要职。特朗普为美国提出的外交和经济政策既危险又不连贯。
It is vital for America and the world that Trump is defeated in November. Biden was no longer capable of leading the fight against Trump. He was right to step aside.
为了美国和世界的利益，必须在11月击败特朗普。拜登不再有能力领导与特朗普的斗争。他让位是正确的。