http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080708/wl_nm/shield_usa_dc_6

The administration seems almost desperate to establish an American missile shield in Eastern Europe.  The Czech government has just agreed to allow the US to build its radar stations in Czech territory, although about 60% of Czechs oppose the move.  Russia, of course, also opposes the move since it would place the missile shield on their doorstep and undermine any nuclear deterrent Russia has against an attack.  The radar sets will cost about $3.5B of our money, and will require constant, additional maintenance fees for the foreseeable future.

But -- okay -- the radar warnings may be situated in the Czech Republic if the citizenry allow it, but where will the missiles themselves be located?  Nobody knows.  The Polish government, again over the objections of it citizens, initially accepted the deal, which involved a bribe -- US taxpayers sending money to Poland to beef up its armed forces.  (And why not?  With the missiles, they become a target.)  But the Polish government recently rejected the bribe as too small, so we now have noplace to put the missiles.

 What's the purpose of building the unpopular missile shield in the first place?  To protect Europe and the rest of the world from "rogue states" -- namely Iran -- which our own DOD estimates MAY have missiles by 2015.  Although, of course, both Bush and McCain have declared a nuclear Iran "unacceptable," meaning that they would attack Iran before allowing them to develop a nuclear missile.

The truth is that neither Poland nor the Czech Republic should have any hesitation about allowing the shield to be built in their countries, since our interceptor missiles don't work anyway.  But that's okay too, because there is nothing for them to intercept. 

We are making an enemy of Russia, which has been trying to accomodate the administration's determination to build the shield.  And we are buying the cooperation of the Czech Republic and, eventually, some other country in Eastern Europe, that will allow us to pump billions of American dollars into a missile system that does not work and has no purpose.  Under the current administration this is known as diplomacy. 

It's almost unthinkable that either Obama or McCain would pursue this folly.  Assuming Obama isn't assassinated, there are now 195 days before one of them takes office.  It can't be too soon.