《華盛頓郵報》在3月31日題為《兩個中國政府》的文章中這樣說：
Chen Shui-bian's election as president of the Republic of China on Taiwan dramatically and instantly raised the stakes for U.S. policy in the Taiwan Strait.
Lee Teng-hui's election in 1996 was the first direct，popular election of a head of state in Chinese history. President-elect Chen's election marks the first peaceful transfer of power from a ruling Chinese party to its democratic opposition.
Taiwan's democratic transformation，begun by President Lee，is complete. The Republic of China's experiment in democracy is no longer an experiment——it is a proven reality. The nation that was known for the better part of 40 years as “Nationalist China” now is “Democratic China.”
譯文：
陳水扁在台灣的“中華民國”“總統”選舉戲劇地而且立即為美國在台灣海峽的政策提升了賭注。
1996 年李登輝的當選是中國曆史上第一次直接的、受歡迎的國家元首選舉。陳水扁在此次選舉中當選，標誌著第一次和平地把權力從一個統治中國的政黨交接到它的民主反對派手上。
台灣的民主改革是從李“總統”開始的。“中華民國”在民主上進行的實驗不再是實驗——它是已被證明的事實。那個以“國民黨中國”而聞名40年的國家現在是“民主中國”。
在稱讚台灣“民主”製度的同時，美國兩大報也突出了對該製度的獲益者陳水扁的讚許。首先是報道他作為律師的堅毅，塑造其正直的形象，其次是報道他夫人吳淑珍的癱瘓在床，肯定其作為中國好男人的優良道德觀的典範，再次是報道他在兩岸關係上的進一步定位，肯定其是愛好和平的溫和領導人。
《華盛頓郵報》在2000年3月19日《台灣的成功故事》一文中，極力烘托陳水扁平凡的出生、優秀的學業和堅忍不拔的性格。文章說：
Chen's personal story is compelling testimony to all aspiring democrats. Born into an impoverished peasant family in rural Taiwan in 1951，Ah-bian （as he is known） was the best student in his county's primary and secondary schools——earning himself a place in the prestigious Taiwan National University and a law degree. He labored for two decades in the opposition movement，enduring imprisonment and personal tragedy.A bungled assassination attempt on him，allegedly by government intelligence agents，left his wife paralyzed for life. Chen's political ascent included service as a Taipei city councilman，a member of the Taiwan legislature and a mayor of Taipei——a post in which he was immensely popular for improving the quality of life of the city and cleaning up corrupt politics.