Russia has raped Georgia and is now threatening Poland.

“If Poland allows elements of the U.S. missile shield to be placed in its territory it will expose itself to a strike … and that’s a hundred percent sure,” threatened deputy head of Russia’s General Staff Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn.

Poland has responded with admirable courage and defiance, today signing a treaty to expand America’s missile defense system at Polish bases.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski announced on TV: ”No one will ever again tell Poland what to do and what not to do.”

To support Poland requires building the promised defense system as quickly as possible. But as Gary Bauer noted in his excellent newsletter today, Representative Ellen Tauscher of California said instead: “Go ahead and move on with research and development. But as far as putting holes in the ground in Poland, we are saying no.”

And when she said “we” she was not talking only about herself and the mouse in her pocket. She means liberal Democrats, most of whom oppose missile defense — for Poland and for America as well. (What they favor, evidently, is demonstrating that America is an unreliable ally.)

By the way, I question whether she’s even honest about wanting to go ahead with “research and development.” Sen. Barack Obama has promised to cut those funds if he’s elected in November.

Excuse me, but should these not be campaign issues?