Polish gov't shakes down Bush

In a new development over the "missile shield" the Bush Administration wants to put in Poland, it appears that the new Polish government is shaking down Bush. Since the Bush Administration does nothing honestly, the "shield" has been portrayed as a defence against an improbable Iranian attack - because Poland and Iran are such bitter enemies, as we all 'know'. The reality is that the "shield" is strictly for use against Russia, and that it's not Poland that would be defended by it. The former Polish government was one of Bush's "team" of foreign allies that backed everything he said and sent troops to Iraq. Not surprisingly, the Polish voters kicked these toadies out in favour of a government that might actually look out for Poland's interests, rather than striving to make the Decider look good at every available opportunity.

So, in a sly move, the Polish DM has said that this "missile shield" would make Poland a target (which it certainly would), so Poland will need some missiles of its own, such as those in the U.S. arsenal, for example. Oh, and Poland won't rely on Bush's promises to defend them, but would feel better if NATO would guarantee their security.

Poland certainly realises that Bush won't go to war to defend Poland, and that they sre simply being used as a base for American forces to threaten Russia. Poland wouldn't even control the "missile shield", but would instead rely on Bush to decide when things are dangerous and when they are not. The days when foreign leaders bend over for Bush are now in the past. The "missile shield" is bad domestic politics for the new government, and if they are going to swallow it then they will need a shiny new missile system of their own, making them a "player" in European defence - something Bush has promised Poland for years but never delivered. In an even bolder move, they are also saying in public that the premise of the "missile shield" is bogus.

Yes, the once-mighty Decider is now being pushed around by countries like Poland.

story from IHT

Poland wants air defenses bolstered in return for missile shield

BERLIN: Adopting an increasingly assertive tone before meetings in Washington next week, Poland's new center-right government has warned that it would not accept a controversial U.S. antiballistic missile shield until the United States agreed to bolster Polish air defenses.
The request is a departure from the previous nationalist-conservative government led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which had all but agreed to deploy 10 interceptors on Polish territory without setting firm conditions over the security and financing of having them in the country.
Bogdan Klich, the Polish defense minister, said he would ask Washington to modernize Poland's air-defense capabilities with short- and medium-range systems, such as the Patriot. If necessary, he said, he would also ask the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S.-led military alliance, for a guarantee that it would come to Poland's assistance if it came under attack.
"The presence of a U.S military installation in Poland undoubtedly makes Polish airspace more vulnerable," Klich told Reuters in an interview Tuesday. "I am speaking about this in categorical terms because this is an essential part of Polish airspace security." Klich added in the interview that Poland could become more vulnerable to attack if it agreed to accept the U.S. system, which according to opinion polls is widely opposed in Poland.
A Defense Ministry official said the Klich wanted to discuss all the options available to Poland at a meeting with Robert Gates, the U.S. defense secretary, during two days of talks in Washington next week. He said the security package Poland was requesting would be purely defensive, adding that it would be difficult to imagine that Poland would agree to deployment without such a package.

Klich's comments appear to be part of a campaign by the Polish government to warn the U.S. administration of a more aggressive negotiating stance before these high-level meetings. In interviews with the Polish media over the past few days, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski have taken a much tougher line in negotiations with the United States over the missile shield.
They have contradicted U.S. policy by stating that Iran or other Middle Eastern states were not the main threat to Poland's security. Senior American diplomats, including Dan Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, who last year traveled to European capitals and Russia, have said that the shield was a necessary protective measure against any missiles coming from so-called rogue states, including Iran.
Neither Tusk nor his ministers have so far elaborated on what threats Poland could face. Security analysts said Poland was simply asking the United States to provide security to modernize Poland's defenses, but they added that they consider Russia as a factor.
"The request for the Patriot missiles is purely a defensive measure," said Gienek Smolar, director of the Center for International Relations, an independent research organization in Warsaw.
"This is about explaining and protecting Poland's national and security interests," Smolar said.
Russia has taken a tough stance against the missile shield, warning of a new Cold War if the United States goes ahead with its plans to deploy the system in Poland and the Czech Republic. This was one of the main reasons why Russia last month suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, one of the most important arms control treaties signed in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Poland and Russia are also planning their first direct talks in Warsaw over the missile shield. Sikorski will discuss the issue with Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Kislyak.