Czechs feel betrayed, Poles irked, Romanians slighted. Ask them who's to blame, and the answer may come as a surprise: President Barack Obama.
George W. Bush fawned over Eastern Europe, and its leaders rushed to join his post-9/11 "coalition of the willing." Now many — officials and ordinary citizens alike — are grumbling over what they perceive as the Obama administration's neglect.
It's a startling shift in a region long accustomed to cozy ties with the United States.
"Now we see the beginning of indifference," said Tudor Salajean, a Romanian historian and researcher.
New Europe really doesn't understand nuance, does it? The only way to get respect and attention from us these days is to threaten us with nuclear destruction or vocally hate us. Could these NATO allies seriously believe wanting to be our friend would count for anything at all in the Obama administration?
Still, who on Earth could have predicted this outcome?
Don't be surprised when the "good war" against the Taliban is only being fought by Americans and Afghans.
