Champion of Taiwan's reforms: Stephen Solarz

"Solarz is an extremely intelligent person," said one high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Maybe he doesn't carry the weight he once did in DC, but he is still very influential internationally."

Recalling an incident with the then government-controlled media during a high-profile speech in Taipei during the early 1980s, Solarz says it shows how much the KMT has changed since then -- to the point that he believes the party is prepared to face a possible defeat in the election next month.

"I was making a case for democracy as diplomatically as I could, so I juxtaposed one sentence on Taiwan's great economic achievements with another on how the government needs to reform," Solarz says.

"But I noticed how the lights on the TV cameras would go off when I mentioned democratic reforms and rolled when I praised the economic miracle," he laughs.

Returning from a DPP rally in Chungli (中壢), Solarz says the scene reminded him of the 1990 Nicaraguan election, when opposition leader Violeta Barrios de Chamorro unexpectedly defeated the Sandinista's Daniel Ortega.

"Nobody dared to say they were voting for Chamorro, but the level of enthusiasm you saw at the rallies was incredible," he recalled.

Even so, Solarz declined to say which candidate he would like to see as Taiwan's next president. "My commitment is to Taiwan's democracy and not to a particular candidate," Solarz said.

"I'm sure as much as the KMT want to win, they recognize that if not in this election, in some future election, the chances are that an opposition candidate will win -- that's the way of democracy," he said.

Carrying several different frequent flyer mileage cards in his wallet, it is clear Solarz has not slowed down since his globe trotting days as a member of the US Congress.

"He has a very energetic and dynamic personality," said Chang, who also attended Columbia University in New York.

Solarz, who is 59-years old, said people often take him for someone in his 40s. Having visited the Philippines last month and scheduled to visit and speak in Seoul next month, Solarz looks at his diary and asks the date of the presidential inauguration.

When told the date he says: "I'm free on that day," hinting that he will be back for the inauguration.