Warsaw and some in Prague were also stung because the new system would give them reduced roles, a disheartening prospect because they counted on Bush's plan to tie their security destinies closer to the U.S., which is still viewed as the only credible guarantor of stability as Russia grows more assertive.
But those fears seem to have dispersed with Biden's stops this week in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Biden appeared to achieve Washington's objective of reaffirming U.S. interest in Central Europe.
"The Biden trip was principally an effort to calm nerves and to reassure countries of Central Europe that the U.S. was not losing interest and pursuing rapprochement with Russia at their expense," Kupchan said.
So kudos for successful damage control. Still, there was damage to control. With such big-brained, nuanced thinkers at the White House, you'd think we could have discussed the replacement plan with our allies before making the midnight call to cancel the original plan.
