NOT GOOD, NOT GOOD

Posted at 5:47 p.m. ET

Well, okay.  Just below this, in the 2:44 p.m. update, we asked that the civility following the election be savored.  That, however, does not mean we must remain silent when there is something to be criticized.

There is something, and it is important.

The president-elect has suffered his first foreign-policy flap.  As many of his critics had predicted, the "problem" is with an important ally, not with an enemy.  Critics of Mr. Obama feared that, like Jimmy Carter, he'd be harder on friends than on those who wish us harm. 

The country is Poland, the most symbolic of the East European nations to gain its freedom after the demise of the Soviet Union.  Mr. Obama had a phone talk with Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski.  Fine.  But the two men gave opposing views on the content on that talk, and that is not good:

Barack Obama has made no commitment that a missile defense shield in eastern Europe will go ahead, an advisor to the president-elect said Saturday, in apparent contradiction of statements by Poland.

Earlier, a statement from Polish President Lech Kaczynski after the two men spoke by telephone said Obama had said he would go ahead with plans to build a missile defense shield in eastern Europe despite threats from Russia.

But Obama had given no such clear cut undertaking on the controversial program, his senior foreign policy advisor Denis McDonough said in a statement.

(The) "president-elect had a good conversation with the Polish President and the Polish Prime Minister about the important US-Poland alliance," McDonough said in a statement.

"President Kaczynski raised missile defense but President-elect Obama made no commitment on it.

"His position is as it was throughout the campaign, that he supports deploying a missile defense system when the technology is proved to be workable."

The statement by President Kaczynski appeared to put a different spin on the conversation between the two men.

"Barack Obama has underlined the importance of the strategic partnership between Poland and the United States, he expressed his hope of continuing the political and military cooperation between our two countries," the statement read.

"He also said the anti-missile shield project would go ahead."

The story is by AFP.  I love the reporter's take that the Polish president's statement "appeared to put a different spin on the conversation between the two men."

Different spin?

Excuse me, but the Polish president's statement was clear and unambiguous.  There was no "spin" there.

Mr. Obama has contradicted the direct statement of an allied leader on a critical issue.  He has also failed to back up the solemn commitment of the United States to defend Eastern Europe against missiles launched from a rogue state, like Iran.  The mainstream media will, of course, either ignore or minimize this incident.  But you may be sure that in the foreign ministries of Eastern Europe, and in the Kremlin, tongues are going and minds are thinking. 

For the East Europeans, this is not the change they can believe in.

Mr. Obama has work to do.  This must not happen again.

November 8, 2008.