9. The Best Presidential Comeback 最佳总统式反驳
The next situation involves the 30th US president, Calvin Coolidge. He was a relatively quiet man and was known for his brevity, though the few words he had made quite an impression, especially with this wonderful comeback. After an after-dinner recital, an acclaimed and heavily respected opera singer was invited to the White House. But apparently performing for the president was quite a frightening experience and her performance left much to be desired. During the performance, one of the White Houses’s guests leaned over and whispered to Coolidge: “What do you think of the singer’s execution?” Coolidge calmly replied:
下面这个是关于美国第三十任总统卡尔文·柯立芝的轶事。柯立芝是个相当安静的人，语言简洁，不过虽然寥寥数语，但让人印象深刻，尤其是下面这句精彩的反驳。一次餐后独奏会后，白宫邀请了一位大受欢迎德高望重的歌剧演唱家来表演。不过对于这位演唱家来说，为总统表演绝对是次胆战心惊的经历，所以她的演唱乏善可陈。在演出途中，一位白宫的客人靠过来跟柯立芝悄悄说道：“您觉得这位演唱家表现得怎么样？”柯立芝很冷静地回答道：
“I’m all for it.”
“我完全赞成你的观点。”