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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.
美國總統喬•拜登不尋求連任的決定是不可避免的，也是正確的。在最近的公開露面中表現不佳後，拜登再也無法對有關他是否有能力再執政四年的質疑置若罔聞。
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.
現在退位讓賢，拜登可以帶著榮譽和顯著的總統成就退休。他還確保了美國選民在11月份將有一個適當的選擇。數以百萬計的選民對唐納•川普有著深刻而合理的擔憂，但他們仍然難以將選票投給一位明顯走下坡路的總統。
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.
拜登現在支援他的副總統卡瑪拉•哈里斯(Kamala Harris)。民主黨領袖們正團結在哈里斯身後，她是黨內對陣川普的絕對熱門候選人。
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.
副總統的突然擢升本身也有風險。哈里斯在全國舞臺上是一個未經證實的候選人。她爭取2020年民主黨提名的競選活動嚴重失敗。與大多數副總統一樣，她一直在努力樹立自己的強勢形象。
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.
最好讓哈里斯在民主黨提名中面對真正的競爭。一場適當的競選將有助於確保民主黨選出一位被證明有能力吸引各階層選民的候選人，並具備與川普較量的政治技巧。
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.
但距離民主黨全國代表大會僅剩四周時間，而且許多黨內人士和捐助者都表示支援，他們似乎不太可能舉行初選。開放式代表大會——候選人將爭奪代表支援——可能會引起公衆關注，併爲最終的勝利者增加合法性。但是，在現代，開放式代表大會也是一個未經嘗試的過程，可能會導致混亂。迄今爲止，還沒有跡象顯示民主黨的其他重要人物願意在這個晚期階段挑戰哈里斯的提名。
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.
川普和共和黨已經在爭辯說，哈里斯的加冕是不民主的。然而，民主黨只要遵守法律和黨章，就可以提名自己喜歡的人作爲候選人。選民將在11月對哈里斯或民主黨推選的任何人發表意見。
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.
當共和黨提出拜登是否繼續適任總統的問題時，他們更有把握。顯而易見的反駁是，再擔任六個月的美國總統和再擔任四年的總統顯然是不同的。
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.
儘管如此，考慮到拜登身體衰退的明顯跡象和總統職位的責任，總統應該接受體檢，以證明他的身體和精神能力能夠繼續執政。這些檢查應儘快進行，檢查結果也應公佈於衆。
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.
儘管拜登的決定令人震驚——以及圍繞哈里斯的合理質疑——但美國和世界現在的處境比上週要好。
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.
唐納•川普不適合成爲美國的下一任總統。他試圖推翻2020年總統選舉結果的努力暴露了獨裁者的本能和道德。川普首任總統期間的親信接二連三地譴責他，並強調他在道德和智力上都不適合擔任要職。川普爲美國提出的外交和經濟政策既危險又不連貫。
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.
爲了美國和世界的利益，必須在11月擊敗川普。拜登不再有能力領導與川普的鬥爭。他讓位是正確的。