美国联邦参议员丹尼尔井上病逝享年88岁

The longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate and the man who was third in line for the presidency, Hawaii\'s Daniel Inouye, has died.  He was 88 years old.

Inouye, a decorated World War II veteran, had been hospitalized in Washington since December 6, when he fainted in his office at the U.S. Capitol.  His death on Monday was attributed to respiratory complications.

Senate Majority Leader and fellow Democrat Harry Reid announced Inouye\'s death on the floor of the Senate. 

In a written statement, President Barack Obama said the country had "lost a true American hero."  Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called Inouye "an iconic political figure" who "had every reason to call attention to himself but who never did."

At the time of his death, Inouye was the Senate\'s president pro tempore, the designation for the person who is third in line for the presidency after the vice president and the speaker of the House of Representatives.  Inouye also chaired the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

When Hawaii became a state in 1959, Inouye was elected the first representative from the state, and was reelected to a full term in 1960.  He was first elected to the Senate in 1962 and was serving his ninth consecutive term.

He was one of the most influential Democratic senators on Capitol Hill.

井上参议员是荣获过战功的二战老兵，今年12月6日在国会办公室内昏倒后一直住院治疗。星期一，他因呼吸系统并发症过世。

同为民主党的参议院多数党领袖里德参议员在参议院宣布了他去世的消息。

奥巴马总统发表书面声明说，美国“失去了一位真正的美国英雄”。参议院共和党领袖麦康奈尔称赞他是位“偶像式政治人物”，“有所有的理由炫耀自己但却从来没有”。

在去世时，井上参议员是参议院的临时议长，是排在副总统和众议院议长之后的第三位可以继任总统的人选。他还担任权力很大的参议院拨款委员会的主席，是民主党最有影响的参议员之一。

夏威夷1959年成为美国一个州时，井上先生被选为夏威夷首位众议员，1960年竞选连任一个完整任期。1962年，他首次当选参议员，去世时在连任第9个任期。

井上参议员是民主党最有影响的参议员之一