![\"clip_image002\"](\"http:\/\/jerrypournelle.com\/chaosmanor\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/clip_image00228.gif\" "\\"clip_image002\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nThere were no surprises in the Republican debate at Dartmouth this evening. The candidates have finally learned not to treat each other as enemies, and to stop bashing each other; the lesson hasn\u2019t been perfectly learned, but they\u2019re doing better. Bachman managed to control her near-surface hysteria, sufficiently so that I\u2019d advise her to run for Speaker of the House. She\u2019d be a good one. Cain looked Presidential, as did Romney and Perry. Newt Gingrich as always was the smartest man in the room, and managed to get the point across: there wasn\u2019t anyone on the platform who wouldn\u2019t do a better job than Mr. Obama. In the old days when Postmaster General was a high precedence Cabinet position that served as the post for Presidential Advisor \u2013 think Benjamin Franklin as Washington\u2019s Postmaster General, or Farley as Roosevelt\u2019s \u2013 I\u2019d think the country well served if Newt had that post. We don\u2019t have anything quite like it now, a cabinet level position without direct management responsibility, not confined to \u201cnational security\u201d but expected to be involved in that. We need Newt Gingrich in a position close to the President, someone to be listened to and free to range through all the actions of government without the responsibility of actual management.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not familiar with the Bloomberg Channel, which is apparently popular with financial institutions and offices; indeed I don\u2019t think I have ever watched it before, and I had trouble finding it among the many channels we get. I found it an hour before the debates began and watched for a while. Their political analysts were almost all both arrogant and incompetent. If Charlie Rose spends much time hanging around with them it\u2019s no wonder that he\u2019s sure he\u2019s always the smartest man in the room. Of the three interrogators, one was the Washington Post harridan who considered it her job to argue with the candidates and become part of the debate, one was Charlie Rose who wasn\u2019t much different from any of the other moderators in such debates, and one was a Bloomberg analyst who appeared more competent than anyone else I saw at Bloomberg. The fact the she was a personable young lady with a reasonable media voice and demeanor didn\u2019t hurt. Some of the Bloomberg pundits had voices and demeanor totally unsuitable for public appearances coupled with an apparent inability to understand what they were talking about. Those were my impressions; I could be wrong because my exposure to them was limited; I can say I won\u2019t be going back to Bloomberg for much else.<\/p>\n
The debate won\u2019t have changed many opinions. Rick Perry came off better this time, but so did all the others: less strident, less ready to tear each other apart, more inclined to talk about what they intend to do rather than recite resumes.<\/p>\n
The big three remain: Romney, Perry, and Cain. The others didn\u2019t come off badly at all. I could live with any of them as President.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yesterday was 10\/10\/2011 as well as Columbus Day. Ten-ten is the anniversary of the 1912 founding of the Republic of China as well as anniversary of the uprising in 1911 that led to the fall of the centuries old dynasty and millennia old empire.<\/p>\n During the Cold War ten-ten, or double-ten, was an important day. The Republic of China was recognized by the United States, and the Republic threw large receptions\/parties attended by much of the diplomatic corps \u2013 those who sympathized with Nationalist China as opposed to Red China. Senator Tom Dodd\u2019s Committee of One Million Against the Recognition of Red China generally threw another reception. The US recognized diplomatic corps of the Baltic Republics (which were physically occupied by the USSR and claimed to be part of Russia until the breakup of the USSR) would attend. As Southern California Chairman of Captive Nations I was always very busy on Ten-Ten. Even after the US recognition of the People\u2019s Republic (and the diplomatic exile of the Republic) there were ceremonies on Ten-Ten for years, but the music stopped as time went on. I think my last Ten-Ten party was in about 1996 at Universal City. It was organized by Chinese Americans and I was invited because I had been considered a good friend of China in the old days. My friend Supervisor Mike Antonovitch was there. I hear from him once in a while, but I think I haven\u2019t had a Ten-Ten invitation since.<\/p>\n With the end of the Cold War the US commitments to the Far East have been reexamined and new priorities and policies instituted. Over time the Republic of China, now known as Chinese Taiwan and not recognized as a sovereign entity, has become a stable parliamentary democracy. The People\u2019s Republic of China remains what it is.<\/p>\n At one time the policy of the US was that we agree that China is one country, and that it includes Formosa (Taiwan).<\/p>\n For my last essay on the subject (1999) see http:\/\/www.jerrypournelle.com\/reports\/jerryp\/taiwan.html<\/a>, which also includes an FPRI report on the subject. Things have changed a lot since 1999 but the essays are informative about history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n View 696 Tuesday, October 11, 2011 The Travelling Republican Debate show continues tonight with Charlie Rose, who generally considers himself the smartest person in the room and often is. It will be interesting to see him in action with the Republican candidates, at least two of whom are smarter than \u2026 Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"