President Barack Obama announced on Dec. 14 the war in Iraq his predecessor George W. Bush began nine years ago is over. All American troops will be withdrawn from the war-torn Arab country by the end of this year, albeit with a military assistance advisory group without combat missions staying behind.

When Christina Liu, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development and convener of the National Development Fund, showed part of the declassified TaiMed file to substantiate Kuomintang charges that Tsai Ing-wen, standard bearer of the Democratic Progressive Party benefited herself by channeling some NT$80 million into her company which carries that name in 2007, a spokesman of her party cried foul and countercharged that the ruling party was creating a Watergate in Taiwan in order just to win the presidential election on next Jan. 14 to remain in power.

King Jigme Khesar Nomagyel Wangchuk of Bhutan paid a state visit to Japan with his queen not long ago to give a “cultural shock” to a lot of me-to-ists in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Where there is a presidential election there is an issue. There may be not just one but many campaign issues.

Emile Sheng quit or was forced to quit as chairman of the Council of Cultural Affairs last week to take responsibility for “The Dreamers,” a rock-musical extravaganza which cost the taxpayers between NT$100 million and NT$300 million to please, well, not too many people, but displease practically all the heavyweights of the literary circles in Taiwan, as a two-day presentation in celebration of the Republic of China's Centennial.

Chiang Kai-shek used to have a general known for his great expertise in the art of war. Of course, the general, Chiang Pai-li, taught the art of war at the Generalissimo's command and general staff college.

Call it white slavery, if you like. Or prostitution. Or street-walking. Or harlotry. It's an act of a person who offers herself or himself for sexual intercourse for payment.

A few of days ago, former President Lee Teng-hui underwent a physical at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei.

Many people say the Republic of China (R.O.C.) is Asia's first republic, but they are wrong. The R.O.C. is the first continuing Asian republic just like China which claims it is the world's oldest continuing civilization, though not the oldest one in the world.

One thing has to be made perfectly clear: A peace accord President Ma Ying-jeou wants to negotiate with the People's Republic of China has nothing to do with Chinese unification. The pact is one to end formally the long Chinese civil war, which started or resumed right after World War II.