McCain: "I know war. I can win wars.  There will be more wars. It's okay with me if we stay in Iraq for 100 years." Yes, with McCain as president there would be lots more wars and he's just shown us how. Even David Ignatius criticizes Dangerous McCain quips about Georgia!

Poland signed onto a US missile system today that included US Patriot Missiles in the fine print. Shield deal for Poland/neocons  The Georgia/Russia fight helped change public opinion to make this deal possible. Bush admired Saakashvili's dancing so Poland signed on for a missile shield.

NATO will not fight with Russia. Period.

Poland accepted the US offer and one part of the missile shield is going to be located in Poland.

The first Russian response was to huff and puff, they said that Poland was now a nuclear target.

But there is something more dangerous happening, look at this:

Russia is considering arming its Baltic fleet with nuclear warheads for the first time since the cold war, senior military sources warned last night.

More cold war after the flip

MOSCOW (AP) — A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile defense battery exposes ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons, the Interfax news agency reported.

The statement by Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn is the strongest threat that Russia has issued against the plans to put missile defense elements in former Soviet satellite nations.

Poland and the United States on Thursday signed a deal for Poland to accept a missile interceptor base as part of a system the United States says is aimed at blocking attacks by rogue nations. Moscow, however, feels it is aimed at Russia's missile force.

AP

I apologize if this has been diaried already, but since I didn't see it in the Rec list, I assumed it hadn't been.

Russia threatens nuclear attack on Poland over US missile shield deal

Anatoly Nogovitsyn, referred to as Russia's Deputy Chief of staff made some seriously scary remarks today in relation to the US/Poland agreement to intall a missile defense system in Poland.

And, yes, the word nuclear was used by him.

These are terrifying times.  Russia has gladly taken the bait from the Bush administrations' new agreement with Poland and has reacted as though it was the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In a bellicose statement, a Russian general , Anatoly Nogovitsyn , declared that Poland may face a Nuclear attack http://www.timesonline.co.uk/...  Again that is a Nuclear attack ..  

Of course this is a ridiculous over-reaction and Medveded has already walked it back somewhat, but it just goes to show how dramatically Bush and McCain's neocon agendas have threatened our immediate security.  

Is this why they do not seem to worry much about Climate change?

Just kidding, ... kind of.

Almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War we have come full circle.  We are now on the brink of something potentially worse:  A cold war that becomes Word War 3.  In their desire to always expand US influence the neocons have given Russia excuses to engage in ridiculous tough talk and extreme military reactions.

As well as the Georgians recently leaving for obvious reasons what is happening with the rest of the Coalition of the willing.

In UK Daily Telegraph (right wing and with good links to Military establishment) is running a story with saying UK forces will be down from 4,500 to a "few hundred" by mid 2009.

Majority of British troops out of Iraq by spring

More on Brits and others below the fold.

Bush & Putin make nice at the Olympics, while Russians tanks rumble across Georgia.  But, hey!  Dubya knows how to play checkers!  Tonight's lead story from the BBC:

Poland has signed a preliminary deal with the US on plans to host part of its new missile defence shield.  Under the agreement, the US will install 10 interceptor missiles at a base on the Baltic coast in return for help strengthening Polish air defences.

So, we're ratcheting things up in northern Europe, which depends on Russia for a big chunk of its natural gas.  I keep thinking there's real problems with the recurring stories of Turkey bombing the Kurds in Iraq.  Not exactly "Cumbaya" moments swirling about us...

I cannot believe that each new day seems to bring a new development that threatens to bring us back to the "good old days" of hating Russia as the counterpoint to everything we hold dear.

The latest installment:  The New York Times is now reporting on a new agreement for a project that has been in the works for some time, a missle defense system based in Poland.  Check it out here

the gem from the article:

She [Dana Perino] said it was not an attempt to antagonize Russia, which opposes the missile defense system.

In what looks like a big slap in the face to Russia, the US and Poland have agreed, at least in principal, a deal to place missile interceptors in Poland. Warsaw and Washington looked set to close a deal Thursday on basing a US missile shield in Poland, despite Moscow's vehement opposition to the plan which has been given a new edge by Russia's conflict with Georgia.

"Washington has said they aim to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland plus a radar facility in the neighbouring Czech Republic by 2011-2013 to complete a system already in place in the United States, Greenland and Britain.
Washington insists the shield is meant to ward off attacks by "rogue states," notably Iran, and is not directed against Russia"

Here's the Associated Press article on the subject for further reference :

http://ap.google.com/...

The Czech Republic has agreed to be the site of the array of sensors and accompanying electronics for the anti-missile system the U.S. wants to build to defend against an attack by a small number of Iranian missiles.

Now the U.S. needs a place to site the missiles.  Poland is balking and making new demands like being able to have partial control over the missiles, etc.  Now rumors are floating that we are turning to Lithuania as a back up if, as seems increasingly likely, Poland falls through.

As stated in previous diary entries, I oppose the anti-missiles.  We would be increasing dissension among our NATO allies (the governments and populations of Europe are divided) and ratcheting up tension with Russia and Iran in return for the still unproved possibility that in the future, this system might actually be  made to work.  (It won't work effectively now, or would be countered easily.)

This is my first diary post; so, I've given great thought to the learning moments in my life and read a number of posts in the Daily Kos.  A moment from my past:

The skinny on Senator Obama's foreign travel is not very encouraging  .  The itinerary is not well thought out and the inclination to do a big public speech in Berlin is politically inept - Americans like their presidents to be loved by foreigners but they want their presidential candidates to show that they will work exclusively on behalf of the American people.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and the UK are pretty much givens.  Senator Obama needs to meet with the commanders and the troops and establish himself with government leaders in Kabul and Baghdad (and why not Kirkuk and Basra).  We are at war and while it is risky (Dukakis+tank+helmet+MSM man crush on McSame), Obama has to show that he will be comfortable and competent as Commander in Chief from day one.

Israel, being an ally under constant attack, is a must (with visits to VadYeshem but also perhaps with visits to PeaceNow or Reform Jewish sites) as is the UK as our most solid military ally and linguistic mother country.  But why France and Germany?  And why not Italy, Ireland, Poland and possibly Bosnia? More below the fold Report on Itinerary

Tibetan peoplehood, culture, and society are inextricably bound up with Lamaism, as Tibet's distinct form of Buddhism is called. The Dalai Lama is both the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. Imagine, if you can, Israel's head of state being, by law, a descendant of a High Priest from the days when the Temple still stood.

The question sometimes arises in discussions about Israel whether it is possible for a state to be both Jewish and democratic. Tibet and many European democracies provide interesting case studies that uniformly suggest an affirmative answer. Let's continue with Tibet before moving on to Europe.

I had the misfortune to read the recent editorial of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who also happens to be my senator, in the Wall Street Journal.

The piece, "Russia Can Be Part of the Answer on Iran," has already been criticized, including in a response by Garry Kasparov. In general, it looks at carrots that can be used to elicit the desired responses from Iran vis-a-vis their nuclear program.

What I have found most frustrating is that Schumer actually undermines policies set in place by Democrats and therefore raises questions about the foreign policy credentials of Democrats in his piece. I am not an expert in arms proliferation, but I do reside in Estonia, part of the "new Europe" and so Schumer's offer of taking the deployment of anti-missile systems in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania off the table to appease, yes, appease Russian interests in eastern Europe strikes me as particularly odious.

Australian military members began their exit from Iraq last Sunday--could a US withdrawal be far behind?

As one of President Bush's staunchest allies in the 'global war on terror', Australia have stood shoulder to shoulder with the US and other coalition partners since the planning for the Iraq invasion in 2003. From January of that year, elements of that country's military have been involved in one form or another in the pre-deployment, invasion and occupation phases inside Iraq but, as of June 1st, that support has come to an end. This shift is due to the recent defeat of conservative Australian prime minister John Howard and the installation of his long-time anti-war Labour opponent Kevin Rudd. One of his campaign pledges was to extract all of his nation's combat troops from Iraq after he won his election (that happened last November) and he has fulfilled that promise less than 6 months after being installed into his leadership position.

To start off, I have to tell you that my fiancée is from Poland. Poland, the land of incredibly conservative Catholicism and lingering anti-Semitism. The land of the second democracy of the 18th century (for a few years right after us). The land of Solidarity and Jaruzelski. The land of the former Pope, the Warsaw Uprising, Aleksandr Kwaśniewski and Lech Wałęsa. And Kościuszko. Recently though, it has been marked by a monumental election driven by the youth that will change Poland for years to come. Sound familiar? Read along with me for some fun advice on how we can replicate this in our fair land.

Pat Buchanan says he was trying to defend 'appeasement advocates' against Bush's anti appeasement remarks in Jerusalem.

What he said, though, in fact reduced pro appeasement rhetoric to its illogical extreme:

Hitler had not wanted war with Poland. He had wanted an alliance with Poland in his anti-Comintern pact against Joseph Stalin.

But the Poles refused to negotiate. Why? Because they were a proud, defiant, heroic people and because Neville Chamberlain had insanely given an unsolicited war guarantee to Poland. If Hitler invaded, Chamberlain told the Poles, Britain would declare war on Germany.

This diary is cross-posted to my blog, where I've posted photos from the Krakow march and one of Nepal's new gay assemblymember.