Speaker Pelosi in Taiwan: nearly, but not quite historic

So, in the end she went. I guess she had to, as she’d painted herself into a corner. Now we wait for the Chinese reaction. Which they’ve been fulminating is going to have the US “consumed by fire”, “bearing all the consequences”, and again, for good measure “engulfed in fire”. Fire is the metaphor of the day. And so — to shift-back metaphors —  Beijing too has painted itself into a corner. Perhaps if it’s opposite corners they’ve painted themselves into things will be fine.

In this household we have differing views. Some see serious consequences. Including China deciding to invade Taiwan, now. Me, I’m more sanguine. Naive? We can only wait and see.

Why Pelosi’s visit  it’s not quite historical is that a previous Speaker of the House visited Taiwan. That was the other Party and that was Newt Gingrich in 1997. I was here in ‘97 and I don’t recall much fuss.

Times are different, I know, and now we have the more assertive Xi Jinping. 

Still, is this something to go to war over? Surely not. I mean: there’s a precedent! That’s enough to hang a cooling-off on.