US bases: Mild Czechs, hard Poles

It was a hard return from Balkans to Central Europe. While I was traveling through region I covered ten years ago and filling my rather sceptical views with more optimistic data about development in Serbia and Kosovo, there was going on drama around US antimissile shield bases in Czechia and Poland.
Czechia did not sign already finished agreement, because Ms. Condoleezza Rice did not find time to come to Prague as planned on May 5. Polish negotiatiors have smuggled into media news about US refusing to fulfill all Polish wishes about modernisation of Polish army. Is really something getting wrong with US military presence in Central Europe?
Not exactly. Czech government is already decided to support radar base even there is strong resistance among public and site of future US radar is at the moment occupied by so called peace activists. Two of them in Prague are even on hunger strike, but for cabinet of Prime Minister Topolanek there is now only one task: how to push ratification of treaty with US through parliament. It is not easy task, but doable. Canceling visit to Prague Ms. Rice did not help much, Czech government is looking for any signal of help with PR from US administration, but Americans are silent. And then there is question, if Czech attitude towards radar issue was the right one. Should we be like Poles?
Poles are watching that very closely. They say: we will not change our positions and demands to which Washington did not respond satisfactorily. Put in words of one of Polish diplomats, there is now chance that in Poland there will be US base is fifty to fifty there will be no one. Poles are a bit fed up with helping US in Afghanistan, in Irak, in EU or at other more or less visible fronts and getting anything for that - no special contracts in Irak, no offsets for US F-16s, no special treatment in defense cooperation. Their diplomatic skills, once called by unnamed EU diplomat as "Polish diplomatic brutality", are well known and personality of minister Radoslaw Sikorski is their biggest asset in dealing with Washington politics.
Therefore there will be drama yet to see during summer months, even some Polish journalists call negotiations "game". It will be fun as well as interesting to see it and maybe Czech politicians will get from Polish hardship some food for thought.