“The East European countries went out on a limb for America during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; Now they feel they are getting whacked”

With the Apologizer-in-Chief — courageously — deciding against the deployment of missiles in Poland and Czechoslovakia, we are once again witnessing the Obama Doctrine at work:

• Abandoning our allies,

• emboldening our enemies,

• and diminishing our country

Earlier, Judy Dempsey had come with this:

…with Barack Obama in the White House, the deployment of the missile shield in Eastern Europe is no longer a given, as defense experts question its costs, its effectiveness and even its location. As a result, the certainties of the Bush era have given way to a sense of betrayal — but maybe also realism [yeah; realism in the Jimmy Carter/Munich-type mold] — on the part of the East Europeans.

Throughout the Bush administration, the East Europeans had supported the U.S. war on terrorism. They had broken ranks with many other European Union countries in supporting the invasion of Iraq by sending troops. They had turned a blind eye to renditions and interrogation centers (though there were also West European countries that did that).

“The East European countries went out on a limb for America during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Ron Asmus, director of the Brussels office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “Now they feel they are getting whacked.”

Indeed, Washington’s special relationship with Eastern Europe seems to be over. Mr. Obama’s dithering over whom to send to Poland last month to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the beginning of World War II confirmed that.

Much more important for the administration is its goal of “resetting” its relationship with Russia after years of neglect by Mr. Bush. Russia, whose support is needed for issues like Iran, nuclear proliferation and the Middle East, dwarfs the importance of any East European country for Washington.

As it turns out, the announcement

made for unfortunate timing, as Thursday is the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, a date fraught with sensitivity for Poles who viewed the Bush missile defense system as a political security blanket against Russia. Poland, along with many other countries in the former Soviet sphere, worry that Mr. Obama is less willing to stand up to Russia.

Like we said, the Obama Doctrine at work:

• Abandoning our allies,

• emboldening our enemies,

• and diminishing our country

Update: Tony Blankley adds (regarding Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad):

For the greatest nation on earth to accept such impertinent treatment by so vile a despot is a profound lesson in humility.

In France, Le Monde's Munich readers are already reacting in typical Munich fashion:

BRAVO

Excellente nouvelle! Obama comprend parfaitement qu'il s'agissait d'un projet agressif et impérialiste detiné, non pas à contrer l'Iran mais à menacer la Russie. Il faut dialoguer et non pas menacer…

Le principe de ce bouclier est une ineptie … La volonté d'installer le "bouclier" doit être cherché ailleurs [i.e., some sort of treacherous plot hatched — needless to to say — by (conservative) Americans].