bacher and NewsMax.com Staff
For the story behind the story...
Saturday April 7, 2001; 10:41 p.m. EDT
Hackworth: Bush Will Sell Out Taiwan in Exchange
for Plane Crew
The Bush administration will deny Taiwan U.S. built naval
destroyers equipped with sophisticated Aegis battle management
radar in exchange for Beijing's promise to return the 24-member
crew of a U.S. reconnaissance plane currently being held hostage
on Hainan Island, predicts military expert Col. David Hackworth.
"It's a done deal," said that highly decorated combat veteran and
former military consultant to CBS News and Newsweek, during an
interview Saturday with Judicial Watch Radio's Larry Klayman and
Tom Fitton.
"What this is all about is not that plane, it's not this crew that's being
detained. It's all about Taiwan," Hackworth warned.
"And you wait and see, when it's all over and the smoke and
darkness settles, you'll see that Taiwan will not get Aegis
destroyers or a lot of high-tech gear," to defend itself.
Beijing is staunchly opposed to U.S. plans to boost military aid to
Taiwan and has made no secret of its own plan to "reunify" the
island nation with the mainland, using force if neccessary.
Hackworth said the Bush administration would "give them
something to try to save face but it will be World War II stuff," in a
deal designed to pacify mainland leaders.
The veteran of Vietnam, Korea and World War II pointed to the
Bush administration's decision Tuesday to withdraw three
destroyers the Navy had dispatched to the Western Pacific in
response to the crisis.
"The Navy brass, when this first happened, their kneejerk reaction
was , 'We'll do a wargame off of China.' You saw them send three
destroyers straight-away. And George Bush said, 'End that now.'"
Another example of Bush administration timidity in the face of the
Chinese challenge, said Hackworth: "We haven't had one
reconnaissance flight off the coast of China since this happened."
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
China / Taiwan