Bob Olding, president of Damilic Corp., demonstrates June 13 the features of the older model Autopen Model 80 in Rockville, Md.(Agencies) |
It's the open secret that nobody in government wants to talk about: That cherished presidential signature that's tucked away in a scrapbook or framed for all to see might never have passed under the president's hand. For decades, presidents of both parties have let an autopen do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to scrawling their signatures. The machine was recently put to use signing a bill into law, apparently a first. Overseas and out of reach when lawmakers passed an extension of certain provisions of the Patriot Act, President Barack Obama employed the autopen to sign it, a step the White House has been mum about ever since. "I always heard the autopen was the second most guarded thing in the White House after the president," says Jack Shock, who had permission to wield former President Bill Clinton's autopen as his director of presidential letters and messages. Jim Cicconi, who oversaw the use of autopens for President George H.W. Bush, recalls that the plastic signature templates for the machines — yes, there was more than one autopen — would wear out from repeated use. Ronald Reagan had 22 different signature templates, including "Ron," "Dutch" and other iterations, to boost the aura of authenticity surrounding his fake signatures, says Stephen Koschal, an autograph authenticator who two years ago published a guide to presidential autopen signatures. It's not just ordinary Americans who get the autopen treatment. Koschal says he once visited Vice President Dan Quayle's office in the Capitol and spotted a signed photograph from the first President Bush that he said had clearly been autopenned. Obama took the presidential autopen out of the closet and into a new realm. While traveling in Europe last month, Obama directed his staff in Washington to use an autopen to sign into law an extension of certain Patriot Act powers to fight terrorism. The legislation had been approved by Congress at the last minute, and there was no time to fly it to France for Obama's signature before the anti-terrorism powers expired. It was believed to be the first time a president has used an autopen to sign legislation. Autopen signatures generally are reserved for more personalized correspondence that doesn't score a real signature, say officials from administrations past. (Read by Lee Hannon. Lee Hannon is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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這是美國(guó)政府內(nèi)部一個(gè)“公開的秘密”,但沒(méi)有人愿意談及:很多人收藏在剪貼簿,或者裝裱起來(lái)供眾人欣賞的總統(tǒng)簽名可能是自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)代勞的。 幾十年以來(lái),兩黨各總統(tǒng)在需要完成繁重的簽名任務(wù)時(shí),自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)就派上了用場(chǎng)。不久前,自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)還被用于簽署一項(xiàng)法案,這在美國(guó)歷史上還屬首次。 美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)近日通過(guò)一項(xiàng)法案,涉及擴(kuò)大部分《愛(ài)國(guó)者法》所設(shè)權(quán)力。但奧巴馬當(dāng)時(shí)身處海外,于是下令用自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)替他簽署法案。白宮對(duì)此事一直閉口不談。 曾經(jīng)替前總統(tǒng)克林頓“執(zhí)掌”自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)的總統(tǒng)信件信息主管杰克?肖克說(shuō):“自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)在白宮內(nèi)受保護(hù)程度排在第二位,僅次于總統(tǒng)。” 據(jù)前總統(tǒng)老布什的自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)使用負(fù)責(zé)人吉姆?西科尼回憶,自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)不止一臺(tái),由于重復(fù)使用,機(jī)器的塑料簽字模板很容易損耗。 筆跡鑒定者史蒂芬?柯什爾兩年前出版了一本關(guān)于總統(tǒng)使用自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)簽名的指南。他稱前總統(tǒng)羅納德?里根有22個(gè)不同的簽名模版,包括包括“Ron”,“Dutch”,以及其它類似的簽名等等,以增加“假簽名”的真實(shí)感。 獲贈(zèng)自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)簽名的不僅僅是普通美國(guó)人。 柯什爾還說(shuō),他拜訪前副總統(tǒng)丹?奎爾位于國(guó)會(huì)大廈的辦公室時(shí),發(fā)現(xiàn)了一張老布什總統(tǒng)贈(zèng)出的簽名照,簽名明顯是自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)寫的。 奧巴馬使總統(tǒng)使用自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)的“秘密”公開了,而且引入了新的使用領(lǐng)域。 上個(gè)月,奧巴馬在歐洲訪問(wèn)期間,下令華盛頓的工作人員用自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)為他簽署《愛(ài)國(guó)者法案》某些條款的延長(zhǎng)決定。因?yàn)檫@些條款在最后時(shí)刻才在國(guó)會(huì)通過(guò),總統(tǒng)如不立即簽署生效就會(huì)作廢。由于奧巴馬遠(yuǎn)在法國(guó),只能求助于自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)。 據(jù)稱,總統(tǒng)借用自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)簽署法案,這在歷史上首開先例。美國(guó)政府官員曾透露,自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)通常用于更加私人化的普通信件,因?yàn)樗鼈儫o(wú)需親筆簽名。 相關(guān)閱讀 奧巴馬公開出生證明 回應(yīng)競(jìng)選資格質(zhì)疑 奧巴馬抱怨當(dāng)總統(tǒng)沒(méi)隱私 懷念平民生活 奧巴馬兒童書11月出版 細(xì)寫美國(guó)13位先驅(qū)人物 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 實(shí)習(xí)生史莉萍 編輯:Julie) |
Vocabulary: open secret: 公開的秘密 tuck away: to store, esp in a place difficult to find(收藏起來(lái)) autopen: a machine that can automatically reproduce or imitate an autograph or personal Signature with any type of pen, pencil, or marker.(自動(dòng)簽名機(jī),自動(dòng)簽名機(jī)) heavy lifting: hard work(困難或吃力的工作) mum about: 保持沉默,閉口不談 aura: a subtly pervasive quality or atmosphere seen as emanating from a person, place, or thing.(氣氛;氛圍;氣質(zhì)) (come)out of the closet: 公開承認(rèn)秘密(尤指因恥辱或?qū)擂味恢北J刂拿孛埽?/p> |