Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today sought to quell concerns from the Polish government about the Obama Administration backing out of the Bush Administration’s pledged missile defense base in the eastern European nation.
“We have a very long and deep relationship with Poland and the Polish government and the Polish people,” Clinton told reporters today, adding “as members of NATO we take seriously our alliance commitment.”
The Polish government has repeatedly warned the Obama Administration not to abandon the deal, warning it could damage US-Polish ties. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski cited the threat of Russian missiles as a reason the controversial system would have to stay, though ostensibly the base was directed at Iran and not Russia.
Yet as officials scramble to placate the Polish administration’s outrage at the potential “broken promise,” Polish news agency PAP issued a poll showing that Poles weren’t so hot on the whole missile base idea to begin with. The poll showed only 22 percent in favor of installing elements of the shield in Poland.