Is Lee Teng-hui on crack?

My father, who had a forty year career as a child development specialist and speech therapist and knows quite a bit about human cognition, says that as you get old the first things to go are the centers that control your ability to interact socially with others. I thought about that when I read about LTH's recent comments in the Taipei Times yesterday....

Former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday that China would not dare to attack Taiwan, because the US has deployed eight nuclear submarines in the Pacific Ocean carrying about 2,000 nuclear warheads targeted at China, preventing Beijing from taking military action against its democratic neighbor.

Implying that Taiwan is under the protection of the US, Lee said it was necessary to procure arms from the US.

"You can't take a bus without paying for it," he said.

I quite agree with the bus comments, but does Lee really think that the US is going to nuke China if it attacks Taiwan? Maybe LTH wants to reply to the intemperate remarks made by a Chinese general last month, but even so, it doesn't make it right. LTH needs to go into quiet retirement. He was a great statesman and fighter for Taiwan independence. But it is time to go, home put the feet up, and contemplate with quiet pleasure the democracy that LTH helped midwife.

[Taiwan]