Another Bush Ally Ready to Bite The Political Dust

Ma Ying-jeou, KMT Party candidate for Taiwan Presidency

Yet another Bush ally is ready to go down in defeat. It looks like Cowboy diplomacy is going out of style all over the World. Over the Summer it was Britain's Tony Blair. A few months after that, John Howard of Australia went down. And we can't forget Prime Minister José María Aznar of Spain and his government going down in defeat in 2004, and Silvio Berlusconi's defeat in Italy, and all of the other defeats of Bush allies around the World. All were a result of voters in those Democracies telling their leaders "No More" to the idea of following Bush & Co. and their Cowboy diplomacy. They realized that it was taking them nowhere.

The latest Bush ally in distress is Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, the radical leader who wants formal Independence from mainland China and who is willing to drag the U.S. into a war with China to meet that goal. The Bush administration claims publicly that it supports the "One China, Two Systems" approach (which exists in Hong Kong, and Macau), and that it does not support Taiwan independence. However, the Bush administration has insisted on getting the U.S. involved in a Civil War by supplying high tech weapons to Taiwan, and giving Chen tacit U.S. support for his plan to declare Independence and join the UN as an Independent State.

That would be the same as China supplying weapons to Puerto Rico if there was ever an internal conflict on our own Continent. Americans of course wouldn't stand for it. Yet American leaders feel that they have a special license from God to meddle in the conflicts of other Countries.

Well, Chen Shui-bian's DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) suffered a crushing defeat in recent days. Taiwan's opposition Party, the KMT (the original Party that engaged in Civil War with China and settled on the Island in 1949) is more open to the idea of listening and negotiating with China on the future of the Tawain-China relationship. The results of the Parliamentary elections likely foreshadows what will happen in Presidential elections in March 2008, when Chen Shui-bian is likely to go down in defeat. So as for now, Chen has only been put on the chopping block.

This is good for the U.S. because it reduces the chances of a future war with China over Taiwan. China and Taiwan, both economic powerhouses, would benefit from a more cordial political relationship, as both economies enjoy success. An economic and cultural partnership, or loose Federation of States, would be better for all involved, and would certainly be better than war. All three Countries in this complex relationship would be able to save face.

See Report from the Times UK