Typhoon a political disaster for Taiwan leader: analysts

Terra Daily via Agence France-Presse: Taiwan's leader saw last week how quickly a natural disaster can become a political one -- now he must win back political capital he lost during the bungled response to Typhoon Morakot, experts said. Bodyguards had to step in to protect President Ma Ying-jeou from the very people he had come to comfort as he visited survivors of the typhoon that may have left more than 500 dead across central and southern Taiwan.

Dogged at every turn, Ma bowed to public anger by the weekend, apologising several times over the government's failure to see the magnitude of the crisis in time. "We could have done a better job and we could have done it faster. I am sorry that we did not do our job better and faster," Ma said while inspecting relief efforts in Nantou county on Saturday....

Morakot at peak intensity over Taiwan