With one-sixth of the Obama administration's term of office complete, last week it revealed its profound commitment to an unprecedented policy of eschewing the exercise of great-power diplomacy -- and indeed of being willing to consciously accept humiliation -- in the hope of gaining future advantage from talking with hostile but weaker nations.
Not to worry, the bards in the media will sing the praises of our new nuanced outreach regardless of the outcome:
The only question is how many people will die before we realize that the people acting like our enemies don't really want to be our friends.
UPDATE: Let the songs be written. The retreat from Moscow begins:
According to reliable sources, Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration. This represents a complete capitulation to Russia's Vladimir Putin, who had demanded that the proposed deployments be halted as a price for improved relations.
Thank you Poland and the Czech Republic for defying Russian pressure just so our president can push you under the bus.
This example will surely encourage other allies to make tough choices to help us, right?
UPDATE: Yes, indeed, we did this. I wake up on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland (September 17, 1939) to find we've signed up for our very own Hopey-Ex-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact with Putin's Russia. Is this what "smart diplomacy" is all about? Running away on really significant dates in history? Doesn't anybody in the Obama administration have one of those little "this day in history" doohickies on their desktop to check these things out? Couldn't somebody have told the boss, "Uh, sir, perhaps selling out the Poles on September 17th isn't the best idea." Hmm?
The Pole's must really be feeling the love, though the Czechs can't be too happy either.
