Satire? Bad Joke? More on the New York Times "Let's Sell Taiwan" Op-Ed

Remember this?  Now the author says it was a satire or a joke or ... something.  Thanks for clearing that up, pal.  Pffft.  I second what Taiwan blogger Michael Turton says (as quoted in the linked article): 

Kane may have actually intended this as satire -- it certainly doesn't read that way, and there is nothing in his piece to signal the reader that he intends to satirize US Taiwan policy. Stupidity by itself is not a signal of satire, alas, the discussion about Taiwan issues is generally marked by stupidity and misinformation, especially in the media: almost every claim that he made in the piece has been advanced seriously in some major media venue. Thus a straight piece containing such abysmal nonsense in a major media outlet is not by itself unusual, considering the dreck that passes for analysis in the media. In writing "satire" Kane totally failed to understand the field, the target, the discourse context, and the audience.

Hear, hear.  Satire?  You're doing it wrong, Kane.  What might be even more infuriating is the sophomoric sort of "gotcha!" mentality that underpins this entire debacle.  People who take Taiwan seriously are not amused.  You get the "dirtbag du jour" tag.