How Many Pollacks Does It Take To Influence A Large-Ish Demographic In the US?

One.

Polish human rights icon and former President Lech Walesa all but endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday, urging him to “be successful.”

“I wish you to be successful because this success is needed to the United States, of course, but to Europe and the rest of the world, too,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was heard telling Romney when the press were allowed in on the tail end of their meeting. “Gov. Romney, get your success – be successful!"

Apparently -- I didn't follow this at all -- Walesa is one of the many friendly leaders that Obama has gone out of his way to snub. He refused to let Walesa accept an award on behalf of a dead Pole, for example. And that was just the latest of many actions which alienated the Poles:

Obama's snubbing of Walesa follows several peculiar actions that upset the people of Poland. On September 17, 2009, he canceled plans for a joint missile defense system between the United States and Poland, one of our most dependable post-Cold War NATO allies. Obama did so for pro-Russian reasons....

Obama's snubbing of Walesa also follows his recent private assurance to Dmitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin -- inadvertently caught on tape by an open mic -- that, in regard to missile defense and nuclear issues, he would "have more flexibility" "after my election." In other words, more pro-Russia steps at Poland's expense.

Obama's snubbing of Walesa also came alongside a terrible gaffe about "Polish death camps."

The Hill piece notes that Walesa had in turn snubbed Obama, stating "I won't meet with him. It doesn't suit me."

I wish this meant more, but now that I look at the history here, I have to think that Polish-Americans who keep ties with the old country (and that country's politics) already are well inclined to vote against Obama.

posted by Ace at 01:41 PM

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