THE LAWMAKERS who attended an event hosted by Elect Democratic Women, a pro-choice group, on November 10th are unlikely to have much sympathy for Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s secretary of war, who has sacked female generals and questioned the role of women in the armed forces.(参加支持选择权团体活动的议员们不太可能同情赫格塞思。) But Mr Hegseth might thank them for his narrow escape(侥幸逃脱) in an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives that afternoon. Eleven Democrats missed the vote—more than the seven-vote margin—with some delayed in traffic on their way back from the event.
11月10日，一些议员参加了支持选择权的团体“选举民主党女性”举办的活动。他们不太可能对皮特·赫格塞思抱有多少同情——这位唐纳德·特朗普的国防部长曾解雇女性将军，并质疑女性在军队中的作用。但赫格塞思或许要感谢他们，因为当天下午众议院弹劾投票中他侥幸过关。十一名民主党人缺席投票——超过七票的差距——其中一些人因交通堵塞被耽搁在从活动返回的路上。
That failure points to a bigger problem for Democrats. More than seven in ten voters who crushed Mr Trump’s party in the midterms on November 3rd said in exit polls that the war in Iran had been a crucial or major factor in their vote.(超过七成选民在出口民调中表示伊朗战争是投票的关键因素。) Democrats are keen to respond to that fury, yet measures to remove Mr Hegseth, let alone(更不用说) end the war, will take time.
这次失败指向民主党面临的更大问题。在11月3日中期选举中重创特朗普所在政党的选民中，超过七成在出口民调中表示，伊朗战争是他们投票的关键或主要因素。民主党急于回应这种愤怒，但罢免赫格塞思的措施——更不用说结束战争——都需要时间。
The articles of impeachment introduced by Thomas Massie, a maverick (and outgoing) Republican congressman, accused Mr Hegseth of starting the war illegally, ignoring congressional resolutions to withdraw and showing disregard for civilian harm, as well as transgressions relating to Venezuela, Yemen and strikes on drug-smuggling boats.(马西提出的弹劾条款指控赫格塞思非法发动战争、无视撤军决议、漠视平民伤亡等。) Democrats and Republicans alike had expected that several Republicans would break with(与…决裂，背离) their party and vote against Mr Hegseth. In the end, Mr Massie was the only dissident(异见者). The department of war posted an AI-generated image of the congressman weeping.
由特立独行（且即将离任）的共和党众议员托马斯·马西提出的弹劾条款指控赫格塞思非法发动战争、无视国会要求撤军的决议、漠视平民伤亡，以及在委内瑞拉、也门和打击毒品走私船只方面的违法行为。民主党和共和党都曾预计会有几名共和党人背离本党投票反对赫格塞思。最终，马西是唯一的异见者。国防部发布了一张由人工智能生成的马西哭泣的图片。