Although I didn’t think I would be able to cheer Nancy Pelosi on, I’m here.
It’s funny because I was in a similar situation to hers. It was 2000 and I was part of an American delegation that witnessed Chen Shui-bian’s inauguration as President of The Republic of China in Taiwan. (Aside: The night before, I had a beer with Lech Walesa. That was an amazing experience and one that will be a tale for another time.
David Keene was my boss and the head of our delegation. He was the chairman of the American Conservative Union and had deep roots in Taiwan. These roots can be traced back to friendship with Chiang Kai-shek.
He said “Look to the sky”, just like President Chen and Annette Lu, his amazing vice president (look her up), were sworn into office. Although I was unsure of his point, I did look. Then I looked at him astonished. “Those are the ChiCom Missiles.” I laughed. They are big players. We weren’t annihilated.
He was making a point. The communist regime threatened to launch missiles at the first peaceful transition of Chinese power for 5,000 years. But they didn’t. We were there. Rich Lowry, I believe, was between Keene and Brent Bozell. They can attest. They did not receive the promised missiles. It was a beautiful day. It was a wonderful opportunity to share in the absolute joy on the island.
Another aside: On the eve of the inauguration of a rival president, Lee Tung Hui, our outgoing president, had met us and he was more than supportive. He said, “Our people have spoken,” as I remember. He proudly said it on the last day of a distinguished presidency.
Let’s get to the point. Having witnessed communist saber-rattling in action firsthand, and having been there, I applaud our Speaker for doing the same thing as Newt Gingrich, which was marching onto the island. Newt was also at risk, as it turned out. To no avail.
She reaffirms the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s freedom-loving citizens at an extremely critical time. She is sending Beijing a “no way” signal that our government has never sent before. Her visit to Russia has caused the communist regime to smell blood. She unilaterally shut down the country. She should be praised for this.
This whole thing has been amusing me. She’s quite the character, isn’t she? Despite all the handwringing by the White House and State Department, she knows that Taiwan will be the safest place on the planet while she’s there. It was the same as it was during President Chen’s birthday celebrations. There were no missiles, and there will be none. Nancy Pelosi calls communist China’s bluff and we all owe her a grave debt of gratitude.
Let’s get together for this one. You go, Madame Speaker.
God bless America and God bless The Republic of China on Taiwan.
