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Soong has shot himself in the foot once again

Recently PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has been very active, constantly appearing on TV to give interviews. Being able to get rid of the frustration he has suffered as chairman of a small opposition party is indeed a hard-won victory for him.

Apart from that, as a vice presidential candidate, he always places himself above his running mate, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰), seemingly turning himself into the underground commander of the pan-blue camp. He even threw down the gauntlet, saying that he would like to hold a debate with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Soong has no hope of ever debating Chen one-on-one. The only possibility is to give up the Lien-Soong ticket and confront Chen as the PFP's presidential candidate during televised debates next year. Otherwise, presidents debate presidential candidates and Chen is likely to vie for the presidency with Lien, not Soong.

If Chen secures a re-election bid next year, he could not stand for election in 2008. Therefore, even if Soong decides to run in that election, he will not have the chance to challenge Chen.

The TSU recently issued a letter of challenge to Soong in an attempt to fulfill his wish to debate. This is because PFP Legislator Kao Ming-chien (高明見) neglected the safety of people of Taiwan and represented China's World Health Organization (WHO) delegation in Kuala Lumpur. His participation was an early demonstration of what Soong has planned for Taiwan -- given his pledge to get Taiwan "into the WHO under the `one China' framework," if the KMT-PFP ticket wins next year.

The result is that Kao, to no one's surprise, has been condemned by most people, like a mouse running across the street.

In encouraging Kao's behavior, Soong has also become a target of public criticism. This is why the TSU is clamoring to hold a large-scale debate with Soong.

The TSU is not trying to grandstand nor launch a war of words with its offer. It has a reason to call for a debate. A showdown between the TSU and Soong can help clarify the issue. It can further examine anti-China and pro-China advocates, and clarify who represents mainstream public opinion and who is in the anti-Taiwan group.

However, Soong has made no response. Luckily, facts speak louder than words. Faced with the furor induced by Kao's attendance at the SARS conference, Soong has changed his tune several times. He has lost even before the debate has started.

After the media exposed Kao's wicked behavior, Soong eloquently defended his party colleague in public. At that time, he pointed his gun at the DPP, asking the ruling party not to be "jealous." Even as pieces of evidence of Kao's kowtowing to China began to surface, Soong still insisted on his position and praised Kao for "speaking for Taiwan."

However, after public sentiment had become too hot to handle and Soong realized that he could not afford to incur the public's wrath, he had no other choice but to change his tune and to save his reputation, arguing that Kao had attended the global conference in his capacity as a professor, not a representative of the PFP.

But he could not force the public into believing his flip-flop statements overnight. The way he looked when he retracted what he had said is nothing new to the public -- we have seen it all before, during the Chung Hsing Bills Finance scandal.

Now, even before TSU lawmakers draw their weapons, Soong has shot himself in the foot. With such a trick, it is truly a weird how Soong can still freely maneuver the pan-blue camp.

Chin Heng-wei is editor-in-chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine.

Translated by Jackie Lin
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