雙語新聞:美國總統簽名多爲機器代勞

It's the open secretthat nobody in government wants to talk about: That cherished presidential signature that's tucked awayin a scrapbook or framed for all to see might never have passed under the president's hand.

這是美國政府內部一個“公開的祕密”，但沒有人願意談及：很多人收藏在剪貼簿，或者裝裱起來供衆人欣賞的總統簽名可能是自動簽名機代勞的。

For decades, presidents of both parties have let an autopendo some of the heavy liftingwhen it comes to scrawling their signatures. The machine was recently put to use signing a Bill into law, apparently a first.

幾十年以來，兩黨各總統在需要完成繁重的簽名任務時，自動簽名機就派上了用場。不久前，自動簽名機還被用於簽署一項法案，這在美國曆史上還屬首次。

Overseas and out of reach when lawmakers passed an extension of certain provisions of the Patriot Act, President Barack Obamaemployed the autopen to sign it, a step the White House has been mum aboutever since.

美國國會近日通過一項法案，涉及擴大部分《愛國者法》所設權力。但奧巴馬當時身處海外，於是下令用自動簽名機替他簽署法案。白宮對此事一直閉口不談。

"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.

曾經替前總統克林頓“執掌”自動簽名機的總統信件信息主管傑克 肖克說：“自動簽名機在白宮內受保護程度排在第二位，僅次於總統。”

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.

據前總統老布什的自動簽名機使用負責人吉姆 西科尼回憶，自動簽名機不止一臺，由於重複使用，機器的塑料簽字模板很容易損耗。

Ronald Reagan had 22 different signature templates, including "Ron," "Dutch" and other iterations, to boost the auraof authenticity surrounding his fake signatures, says Stephen Koschal, an autograph authenticator who two years ago published a guide to presidential autopen signatures.

筆跡鑑定者史蒂芬 柯什爾兩年前出版了一本關於總統使用自動簽名機簽名的指南。他稱前總統羅納德 里根有22個不同的簽名模版，包括包括“Ron”，“Dutch”，以及其它類似的簽名等等，以增加“假簽名”的真實感。