Politics & Power Quote by Bob Filner

The phrase “our policy for the last many years” does quiet but important work: it frames deterrence not as a choice but as inherited orthodoxy, the kind of long-running consensus Washington prefers to present as natural law. Filner’s intent is to normalize a hard-edged posture toward Beijing by anchoring it in continuity. If the policy is longstanding, the implication goes, it must be prudent.

Then comes the psychological pivot: “from ever coming into the position where they thought they had enough leverage.” Deterrence here isn’t just about ships, missiles, or treaties; it’s about managing China’s perception of its own power. Filner describes a strategy aimed at preventing a moment of confidence, not merely a military capability. The subtext is a familiar superpower anxiety: that miscalculation begins when the rival believes the U.S. is distracted, divided, or bluffing.

The wording also reveals how Taiwan is often rhetorically treated in American politics: less as a self-governing democracy with its own agency and more as the terrain on which credibility is tested. “Cross the Straits of Taiwan” is a euphemism that softens what it actually denotes - invasion, war, catastrophe - while still conjuring a clear red line. It’s meant to be understood by defense-minded listeners without saying the loudest part out loud.

Contextually, Filner is speaking from the post-Cold War, pre-Ukraine era when “strategic ambiguity” and deterrence-by-dominance were Washington’s preferred tools. The sentence encapsulates that era’s bargain: keep Beijing uncertain, keep Taipei secure, keep the U.S. unquestioned.