No one should be surprised by Obama's abandonment of the missile defence shield in Europe. After all, US friends and allies wanted it, and US enemies opposed it. In such a situation, there's never been any doubt which way Obama would jump. Perhaps this news subheading summarizes it best:

welcome in Russia, which vehemently opposed the scheme, but dismay from Poland and Czech Republic

And there's this which also puts it pretty well:
The move has prompted accusations of betrayal from Washington's eastern European allies but delighted the Kremlin.
All this from the Guardian, bastion of leftism. I guess they're pleased ... anything that weakens the US has got to please the leftists. Why exactly, I'm not sure, but that's the way it goes. A friend of mine keeps saying about Obama:
"what would you do differently if you were trying to weaken the United States?"
I'm starting to think he may be right.

[Update] Instapundit comments on the news:

It really is like Jimmy Carter all over again. Well, actually that’s looking like a best-case scenario these days . . . .
I've said it repeatedly ... Obama is uber-Carter, hence my subject heading over on the right "Cartobama." Check it out. On the bright side, since four years of Carter brought us eight years of Reagan, with four years of uber-Carter bring us eight years of uber-Reagan. Let's hope so ... but on the other hand, where is he? The Republican cupboard seems to be bare. Where is a senior Republican who can stand up and say (with any degree of credibility): I oppose Big Government. I've always opposed Big Government. Where?