[tallhappy]

BTW--what kind of help is Taiwan offering the US in our struggle with the Islamists?

Taiwan's President offered any and all help after 911.

The USA chooses not to use Taiwan's air bases or ports, but could.

If the US did use one of Taiwan's ports or bases (as we did for decades before 1979) the Chinese communists would get mad at us.

[Quix]

Quite right.

I do suspect in SOME contingencies Bush would use them. But only if he felt he could and needed to give Beijing the finger and get away with it.