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. 
 
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