Polish-Americans Will not Be Fooled!

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2012

On March 26, in Seoul, South Korea, President Barack Obama pleaded with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to give him "space" until he is reelected, allowing Obama to appease the Kremlin's opposition to U.S.-led Missile Defense in that part of Europe.  The message was clear: Moscow, be patient until Barack Obama's power is reaffirmed in November, granting him a free hand to recognize Central and Eastern Europe as a Russian sphere of influence.

Given the historical record, Polish-Americans may be excused if President Obama's quite cynical slip reminds them of the Yalta Betrayal, whereby the Roosevelt administration effectively surrendered Poland to the Soviet yoke. Obama's ostensible "Realpolitik" might also conjure up memories of Gerald Ford's Sonnenfeldt Doctrine, which was a de facto continued recognition of the Kremlin's occupation of Central and Eastern Europe. Both failed to stem Moscow's aggressive designs throughout the world.

President Obama's Yaltaesque treatment of Poland and appeasement of Russia poses an important question: can Americans of Polish descent vote for the current president during the upcoming election with a clear conscience? While Obama managed to secure some support among Polish-Americans in 2008, his Sonnenfeldt Doctrine deux may rather justifiably convince some Americans of Polish background to recall Abraham Lincoln's famous words: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

Pawel Styrna
VP for Public Relations
SOURCE Polish-American Advocacy Group