Obama Adviser Contradicts Polish President; Says Obama Made No Commitment to Missile Defense Shield

We reported earlier that the Polish President said today that President-elect Barack Obama had told him that he would go ahead with plans for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. Now, an Obama adviser is saying Obama made no such commitment:

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.

Earlier, I praised Obama for making such a commitment, but was somewhat surprised he would do so. I guess it was too good to be true. Hopefully, he will not back down in the face of Russian pressure not to build the missile defense system.