It has become apparent that Russia, now growing strong on petrodollars and new trade with China, will antagonize the West over every issue it can. It started years ago with small trade disagreements with Poland and Germany. Moved to natural gas supplies with the Ukraine and Europe. Then we have the Russian/Georgian War of 2008. There is also Russia’s massive military sale going to Venezuela and their upcoming wargames. Not to mention Russia’s continued prodding the west over Iran’s nuclear facilities and growing military contacts with China. The Russian Federation has now replaced the Soviet Union of old and acts accordingly.

Now Dear Leader Obama is faced with what will be his first international crisis (Biden’s Prophecy when he takes office in January. President Bush will work to enhance the US/Polish alliance but he’s politically hamstrung by being in the lame-duck status. The United States of America now faces a challenge that is the equivalent of a modern day Cuban Missile Crisis.

Our ballistic missile defense shield in Poland looks to be operational by 2011 but Russia has said they will move mobile TBMs to Kaliningrad. President Medvedev proposes the following in response to our ballistic missile defense:

Russia would post mobile Iskander missiles — tactical weapons designed for use against targets like long-range artillery and airfields, in addition to missile defense systems — around Kaliningrad, an enclave at Russia’s western border. He also said Russia would use radio equipment to jam the Western missile defense system.

What a shock… again, Russia behaving like the Soviet Union. Now we have Russia becoming more entrenched in South America to include Cuba and we have a what will understandably be a weak American President. Dear Leader will not want a war with Russia (hell, who would?) and does not fully support ballistic missile defense.

So where does that leave the Polish? Out on a limb all alone it appears because we now have Dear Leader Obama saying this:

Obama foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said Obama had had “a good conversation” with Kaczynski about the American-Polish relations and discussed missile defense, but “made no commitment on it,”

It appears Dear Leader Obama has voted “present” once again.