Senator Mark Kirk (R–IL) and Congressman Mike Quigley (R–IL) returned from a four-day trip to Poland this week. The bipartisan pair made the journey to discuss an important topic in U.S.–Polish relations: admitting Poland into the Visa Waiver Program. Under the Visa Waiver Program, visitors from friendly member nations are able to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without first obtaining a visa. To ensure that dangerous individuals do not enter the United States through the program, a visitor must first submit information through the program’s online …
When President Obama went public with his support for expansion of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) while in Poland last month, it was a long-overdue acknowledgement of not just Poland’s but Europe’s critical importance as an ally of the United States. (It may of course also have been an acknowledgement of the importance of Polish-Americans for the presidential race, but that is another matter.) Poland clearly deserves to be party to the VWP, which allows travelers from certain countries to enter the United States for 90-day visits for vacation …
President Obama’s trip to Poland last week offered a glimmer of hope regarding Poland’s potential membership in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The President not only endorsed the idea in conversations with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski but then sent a letter to Congress the same day lending his support for the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2011, a bill sponsored by Senator Mark Kirk (R–IL) and Representative Mike Quigley (D–IL). The bill would make key changes in the program and likely help Poland and other aspiring countries …
When President Ronald Reagan stood before the Brandenburg Gate in West Germany and famously demanded that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev “Tear down this wall!” he brought to Europe—and indeed the world—America’s conviction that freedom and democracy are a powerful liberating force whose time had come for those living under communist oppression. By contrast, as President Barack Obama travels throughout Europe this week and meets with U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom and Poland, he brings with him the baggage of his presidency—more than two years of a foreign policy that …
History is not a strong point of this Administration. Last month it was President Obama declaring another “sputnik moment” for America–only to rattle off a list of big government ideas completely at odds with how Eisenhower responded to Sputnik. Yesterday, it was White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs delivering another dose of “say what?” history. What’s been happening in Egypt over the last week or so, he informed the press, “are events that many people have not seen — nobody has seen in their lifetime.” Gibbs was born in 1971. …
Speaking to the media this weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told CBS’s Bob Schieffer that at NATO’s Lisbon Summit this weekend, many European states including Germany, Poland and the Baltic states had pressed the Administration on the ratification of New START. During one of the summit’s many news conferences, President Obama also stated, “Unprompted, I have received overwhelming support from our allies here that Start — the New Start treaty — is a critical component to U.S. and European security.” However, Czech defense minister, Alexandr Vondra revealed that it …
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw (Radek) Sikorski was probably being polite when he described, in a conference call on Friday with U.S. policy experts, the U.S. government as “a friend of the Eastern Partnership” initiative, a Polish-Swedish venture within the EU, which covers Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and the three countries of the Caucasus. The disparity between the U.S. and EU in terms of economic resources dedicated to Eastern Europe is overwhelming. While the EU spends billions on supporting this partnership, the United States spends a grand total of $311 million annually …
This past weekend, Civic Platform’s (PO) Bronislaw Komorowski narrowly beat Law and Justice’s Jaroslaw Kaczynski in the second round of voting for the Polish Presidency. After a race that was closer than most pundits were predicting, Komorowski will formally take control of the presidential office in August, consolidating the leadership of PO Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. The early election was called following the tragic death of President Lech Kaczynski in April. His twin brother Jaroslaw and leader of the Center-Right Law and Justice Party performed far better than expected. Komorowski’s …
Last week I wrote a piece urging President Obama to attend the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, the Polish First Lady, and 94 senior officials who perished in the Smolensk air disaster. I noted at the time: The Obama administration has on numerous occasions failed to acknowledge the importance of Washington’s allies, and has often appeared indifferent, even hostile towards America’s closest friends. It is important at this time of tremendous pain and suffering in Poland, that the President of the United States sends a clear message that the …
The President of The Heritage Foundation, Dr. Edwin J. Feulner, today passed along his heartfelt condolences to the people of Poland and joins them in mourning the tragic passing of their President, Lech Kaczynski, the First Lady Maria Kaczynska and other Polish officials and ministers. Dr. Feulner stated: “On behalf of the entire Heritage family I pass to the people of Poland our heartfelt condolences for the tragedy that occurred this morning. Poland is a strong ally, one we can count on as evidenced by the more than 2,000 Polish …
