A group of Taiwanese legislators left for the United States on Wednesday to lobby Washington to sell the island F-16 jet fighters, in a deal that would be sure to damage fragile US-China ties.
With the way the balance of power in the air is shifting toward China, Taiwan had best succeed.
If not, for want of a sale, their kingdom will be lost.
On the bright side, with election season coming up, Taiwan's isn't the only kingdom on the line. President Obama has motivation to approve a sale that keeps factory jobs humming along to produce the fighters. That's how Taiwan got F-16s back in 1992, if you'll recall.