U.S. missiles negotiations with Poland & Czech Republic a bad idea

Here we go again, playing off the divisive "old-Europe" and "new-Europe" neoconservative scorecard.

What else to make of the American initiative to try and place anti-missile systems in Europe by working through Poland and the Czech Republic. If the threat from missiles launched from the Middle East and/or North Korea is real (and I believe it is prudent to consider this threat to U.S. and EU security) would it not have been better to deal at the U.S.--EU level rather than with individual states in Europe? The former approach carried the risk of longer negotiations but would force EU wide discussion of this important security issue, which would result in a far stronger agreement, especially in the face of growing Russian opposition and criticism from Germany.

Ofcourse there is always a risk that EU public opinion would not be convinced that the risks of a rogue missile attack outwiegh the benefits, but isn't that a risk worth taking? As it is, public opposition and the razor thin parliamentary balance in the Czech Republic might well derail the plan and another opportunity to strengthen defenses and begin to rebuild the transatlantic alliance by recognizing the desire of Europeans for ever-closer union will been lost.