Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Huckabee addresses Taiwan, U.S. issues in fundraiser

Taipei, June 9 (CNA) Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said U.S. policy on Taiwan-China relations remains unchanged under the Obama administration and called for a new brand of politics in the U.S., at a fundraiser in Taipei Tuesday night.

The former governor, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, delivered a speech to around 350 guests, including local politicians, businessmen and students from seven universities, at an event called "An Evening with Governor Mike Huckabee." Asked about America's cross-Taiwan Strait policy in a question and answer session, Huckabee refrained from elaboration or criticism, saying that domestic issues and Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea and Gaza are at the top of the current administration's agenda.

The Obama administration's position in the cross-Strait issue "hasn't been radically different from past administrations, " he observed.

Huckabee suggested, however, that there was a difference of mentality and thinking between Americans and people across the Taiwan Strait.

While Americans love to put everything on the table and work toward a "timetable" and "a conclusion right now" to solve problems, he said, Taiwanese and Chinese seem to be more patient by first asking "do we have peace? " and "do we have the capacity to live without threats and war?" Huckabee reiterated his support for Taiwan, because it shares the same values with the U.S. and has always been a strong U.S. ally.

During his last visit in June 2006 when he was governor of Arkansas, a position he held from 1996-2007, and chairman of the National Governors Association, Huckabee met then-President Chen Shui-bian.

The association passed a resolution in 2003 supporting Taiwan's bid to become an observer in the World Health Assembly, and in 2005, Huckabee's state of Arkansas passed a resolution recommending the signing of a Taiwan-U.S. free trade agreement.

According to Jack Hu, managing director of the visit's organizer the London International Group, Huckabee decided to extend his stay in Taiwan to four days and could meet President Ma Ying-jeou and officials from the National Security Council.

Huckabee met with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng and several legislators from the ruling party Kuomintang Monday night.

Currently hosting a weekly a weekend political talk show on Fox News Channel, Huckabee quipped that he's recognized by people more often now than on the campaign trail in 2008 because Americans "pay more attention to who's on the TV than who's running the country." He did not say whether he will run again for the presidency in 2012 and insisted that his relocation to Florida had nothing to do with politics, but he expressed his belief that the Republicans will enjoy a "strong year." Huckabee addressed a wide range of topics in his speech, from education and health care to the economy, and advocated "vertical politics, " saying that U.S. politics should not be an issue of "left or right but up or down." "Barack Obama won in 2008 because he was a upward politician, " he said.

Meanwhile, he expressed concerns over Obama's "inexperience and lack of preparation" in governance, citing the latest poll on Obama's handling of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The poll found that dissatisfaction with Obama is 9 percent higher than for former U.S. President George Bush over his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which was widely seen as a blow that weakened Bush's presidency. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls