State Dept. China Appeasers

More evidence of the liberal dominance in the US State Department, as they seek to appease our enemies and hurt our allies. Details from Bill Gertz at the Washington Times:

Taiwan's air force currently flies about 150 F-16A/B model jet
fighters that were purchased in 1992. Taiwan in May 2006 told the U.S.
government that it wants to buy 66 F-16C/D models to counter a growing Chinese
missile and aircraft threat across the Taiwan Strait. China has some 1,000
missiles within range of Taiwan and also has Russian-made Su-27 jets armed with
advanced missiles in the area.
But State Department officials want the sale
postponed in order to avoid upsetting China prior to the Olympic Games, saying
that Beijing already is angry at the protests that have dogged the worldwide
Olympic torch relay over its military crackdown on Tibet. These officials want
to delay the F-16 sales until after the games or later. China considers Taiwan a
renegade province and calls U.S. arms sales an interference in its internal
affairs.

The more help we give to our allies, the less work our own battle-worn forces have to do. Seems to me a self-sufficient Taiwan would be less provocative than a US battlegroup parked practically in China's backyard in nearby Guam.