A thumb in Putin's eye

The Russians are understandably upset about the US's abandonment of nuclear control treaties in the placement of missile defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland.

But, while the White House is trying to sound publicly amiable,

In a diplomatic poke in the eye at Putin, Bush bracketed the summit with stops in the Czech Republic and Poland — the two countries where the United States wants to build a missile defense system for Europe.

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Later: Bush is planning a "democracy" speech in Prague that is expected to further upset the Russians. He's going to talk about democracy in the former Soviet bloc states, but more significantly,

"He'll talk a little bit about the challenge of promoting democracy in countries -- big countries, in particular, where we have a complex relationship and a number of interests -- countries like China and Russia," Hadley said.

They seem to want this enemy.

Later: And a very interesting criticism in the NYTimes piece.

Critics of the administration, including Mr. Brzezinski, say the decline in American-Russian relations is a byproduct of Mr. Bush’s heavy emphasis on building a personal relationship with Mr. Putin, instead of a strategic one.

“My message will be Vladimir — I call him Vladimir — you shouldn’t fear a missile defense system,” the president said.