The US will judge the referendum on more than just its wording, the official said. Washington will look at it in a broader way.
"It's not just the words. It's the actions and the context that Chen and others are going to put to this. So, we'll see how he pitches things to a variety of audiences. Like a good politician, he has been known to speak to his core supporters in one way, and others in other ways," the official said.
The referendum issue is not likely to be a long-lasting irritant to US-Taiwan relations, officials say. "We've never wanted to define our relationship through the prism of a referendum. It's a more comprehensive relationship than just that," the official said.
Bush, the official said, in his rebuff to Chen's earlier referendum plan, "was clear in what he thought was going on and directed himself at what he thought the leader of Taiwan was going to do."
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