Here's a personal evaluation of the major players in the recent anti-Chen campaign:
Taiwan's Military: Just when you thought it couldn't get much more depraved in Taiwan, the military in Thailand stages a coup. Despite lobbying by the pan-blue media the military remained impartial, steadfast and strong. Two thumbs up.
Taipei Police: Ever had a jerk for a boss that didn't hesitate to abuse his workers for his own personal benefit? The general public sympathized with the Taipei Police and the hardships they were forced to endure for a month. Despite being faced with extraordinary circumstances and exhaustion they remained disciplined and professional. Two thumbs up.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九): Ma initially disapproved of the campaign, but quickly changed tack and launched into a bizarre series of about faces and contradictions, all the while playing every opportunity for personal political gain. In the end, he could no longer control the monster he helped create and whined like a spoilt brat that it wasn't his fault. Two thumbs down: Depose.
Taiwan's (Pan-Blue) Media: It should be very clear by now that the media has made a mockery of all journalistic standards -- providing a heavily biased and distorted representation of the campaign. The scary part is how effective they were in swaying public opinion. Also two thumbs down.
Shih Ming-teh (
People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜): The Great Helmsman of a tiny splinter party that exists only to gratify his ego is also a convicted tax evader after getting busted for laundering millions of dollars to the US using the bank accounts of his relatives. Yet he portrays himself as an anti-corruption warrior and insists that the president step down because his wife received US$8,000 worth of department store coupons. What a sad joke. Two thumbs down and a steel toed boot to the arse.
Mike Miller
Taipei
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