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Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S. Midterm Elections

VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3821/01 3130840
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090840Z NOV 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2988
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5919
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7138

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003821

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. MIDTERM ELECTIONS


1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave extensive
coverage November 9 to the aftermath of President Chen Shui-bian's
televised address to the Taiwan people Sunday evening on the subject
of the indictments of First Lady Wu Shu-chen; and to the Democrats'
triumph in the U.S. mid-term elections Wednesday. The
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest-circulation
daily, front-paged the results of the U.S. midterm elections and ran
a banner headline on page four that said "Change of Majority Party
in U.S. Congress; Basic Position in Support of Taiwan Remains
Unchanged."

2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" called the U.S. midterm election a
popular vote on U.S. President George W. Bush and the war in Iraq.
An editorial in the pro-unification "United Daily News" also said
the significance of this election is to "punish Bush,"' giving him a
hard time during the remainder of his term. An opinion piece in the
pro-status quo "China Times" said the Republican Party will have to
re-adjust its policy direction and administrative style in order to
retain the helm in 2008. An editorial in the limited-circulation,
conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" said
the Democrats' triumph signaled the U.S. voters' rejection of Bush's
foreign policy. End summary.

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A) "Democratic Party and DPP"

Columnist Antonio Chiang commented in the mass-circulation "Apple
Daily" [circulation: 600,000] (11/9):

"The statement 'All politics is local' failed to work in this year's
U.S. midterm election. This election is a popular vote on [U.S.
President George W.] Bush and the war in Iraq, and Bush's domestic
and foreign policies will be significantly restrained after the
Democratic Party gains control of the Congress. ... The U.S.
Congress, which is like a rubber stamp, has been under the control
of the Republican Party over the past six years, and the public
antipathy toward the Bush administration has been growing. But the
Democratic Party also let people down; it has opinions but has made
no proposals. In this election, [the American] people used their
votes to punish Bush; it was not the Democratic Party's policies
that have moved the people. ..."

B) "U.S. Voters Punish Bush, and DPP Is Indulgent toward A-Bian!"

The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000]
editorialized (11/9):

"... The change of majority party [in the U.S. Congress] this time
was a result of the fact that American voters are displeased with
the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq; the fact that
[the Bush administration] had lied and failed to respond accordingly
as the war [in Iraq] evolved, resulting in the deaths of 3,000 U.S.
soldiers on the battlefield, has greatly triggered the American
people's grave concern over 'another Vietnam war.' In addition, the
corruption and sex scandals of the Republican Party, which erupted
one after the other, also crushed the image of the ruling party.
Given weakening U.S. economic development and the widening gap
between the poor and the rich in [U.S.] society, the voters finally
chose to vent their outrage in their ballots. Judged from this
perspective, the significance of this election is in reality to
'punish Bush,' giving this rude and high-handed president a hard
time in the remainder of his term, which will last less than two
years. ..."

C) "In the Wake of U.S. Republican's Severe Defeat"

Cheng Tuan-yao, the Chair of the American and European Research
Division at the Institute of International Relations, commented in
an opinion piece in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation:
400,000] (11/9):

"... Does the [Republican Party's] defeat in this midterm election
indicate that the party's conservative revolution that has been
going on since 1994 has come to an end? It may be too early to tell
now. But it is certain that the Republican government, having lost
its control over Congress, will have to re-adjust its policy
direction and administrative style, abandon its assertions of
excessive conservatism, and move toward a middle and pragmatic line
of bi-partisan operation, if it expects to make a difference in the
next two years and retain its opportunity to rule in 2008. But
given [U.S. President George W.] Bush's willful performance over the
past six years, one cannot be too optimistic about future prospects.
..."

D) "Democrats' Win Signals People's Rejection of Bush Foreign
Policy"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post"
[circulation: 30,000] (11/9):


"The Democrats won control of the U.S. House of Representatives
yesterday after a dozen years of Republican rule - an indication
that the American public is tired of the Iraq war and the presidency
of George W. Bush. ... The Democrats' triumph will make things
difficult for President Bush. They may push a timetable for the
withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. ..."

YOUNG

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