WASHINGTON – In a ceremony described as “moving” by Russian diplomats, President Obama officially canceled a Bush-era deal that would have placed a missile-defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Both countries played host to decades of bloody Soviet occupation as a reward for their efforts against Nazi Germany during World War II.

The decision was presented to Russian ambassadors and other diplomats as a gift congratulating the country on the anniversary of its famously successful invasion of Poland’s eastern front in 1939, just over two weeks after Nazi Germany overran the country’s western border.

During the ceremony, which took place in the Rose Garden at the White House, President Obama presented a signed, leather-bound book of Polish jokes to the Russian ambassador, noting, “Mr. Ambassador, I trust your government knew all along that the notion of the United States’ honoring the missile-defense deal with Poland and the Czech Republic was good for as many laughs as the jokes in this volume are.

“Furthermore, these jokes really do represent the attitude of my government to Eastern Europe in general. I mean that with great sincerity and I wish you to convey that message to Messrs. Medvedev and Putin.”

Sergey Kislyak, ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States, praised the decision. “On behalf of all of my comrades back home, I express our deepest gratitude to the United States for this selfless move,” he said. “It is good to know that the United States is confident enough to confront the errors of its ways.”

President Obama said both countries could learn a lot from the Soviet invasion of Poland, in which Russia ended up with about three-fifths of Poland’s territory and killed and deported hundreds of thousands of Polish military and civilians alike.

“If we study our history, particularly the history of this breathtaking Russian campaign against the Poles, we see how foolish commitments in general are,” said the president. “We can draw important parallels to the decisions that confront us today.

In this photo, a Polish participant in the exciting Soviet occupation of his country takes a breather

“For example, it was the very failure of the British and French to honor their alliance commitments to Poland after the Nazi invasion that prompted Stalin to proceed with his bold action.

“And, much like the British and French wisely chose to ignore their promises to the Poles, today, we too formally choose to ignore our pledge to those selfsame people some eight decades later.

“Meanwhile, at the conclusion of the war, it was the betrayal of our own great leader, Franklin Roosevelt, in concert with Prime Minister Churchill, which allowed Poland and the rest of Eastern Europe to be carved up and presented to the Soviets for some 40 years of hegemonic rule.”

“The lesson,” Obama concluded, “is obvious: Commitments are made to be broken.”

During the ensuing question-and-answer period, Obama insisted that Eastern Europe had outlived its usefulness to the United States.

“So they got some of their troops killed in Iraq fighting in support of the U.S. Big deal,” said the president. “If they’d read the polls, they’d have known it was an unpopular war. They should have followed the leadership the French showed in staying on the sidelines.”

When asked if it wasn’t unfair to back out on the Poles after they risked the ire of the Russians by agreeing to host the Bush-proposed missile defense sites, Obama chuckled and said, “Come on, it’s Poland we’re talking about. I mean, they’re in the EU, they fought for us in Iraq and we still haven’t allowed them in the Visa Waiver Program.

“It’s easier for a French Muslim terrorist to enter the U.S. than a Polish Christian who fought Al Qaeda alongside U.S. marines,” he added.

He continued, “If the Poles are surprised by treachery, they’ve no one to blame but themselves.”

“Haven’t they heard the old Russian proverb?” he asked, winking at Kislyak.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Originally posted 2009-09-17 15:12:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter