Does Bush Know Something We Don't?

President Bush is ratcheting up expectations for his European trip, aggressively calling for continued expansion of NATO into the former Soviet Union and saying he is hopeful that a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin on establishing a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe could be nailed down by Sunday.

Does he know something we don't?

At least two NATO members appear to be opposed to Bush's expansion plan. And since NATO operates by consensus, that would seem to indicate that Bush is headed for another international humiliation.

As for the missile defense shield, the president's secret weapon may be his willingness to overlook any number of more pressing matters when it comes to getting Putin's agreement on what he considers a legacy issue. Why, after all, should concerns about such issues as the withering Russian democracy or nuclear proliferation get in the way of establishing untested anti-missile batteries to defend against a threat that doesn't exist?

Untroubled By Obstacles

Steven Lee Myers writes in the New York Times: "President Bush expressed strong support on Tuesday for Ukraine's ambitions of eventually joining the NATO alliance on the eve of a meeting of NATO leaders in Romania where Ukraine appears likely to be rebuffed."

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "Appearing alongside President Viktor Yushchenko, Bush portrayed NATO membership for the two former Soviet republics as part of a new security architecture for Europe and not a threat to Moscow, which has threatened to target missiles against its former territories if they join."

Matthew Lee writes for the Associated Press: "France and Germany say Ukraine and Georgia are not ready to begin the process. . . .

"French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said his country would not support starting the membership process because it would upset the balance of power between Europe and Russia. . . .

"NATO operates by consensus, meaning all decisions must be unanimous among its 26 members. Fillon's comments appeared to quash Ukrainian and Georgian hopes."

The Bush-Putin Relationship

National security adviser Stephen Hadley expressed optimism about Sunday's Putin-Bush meeting when he spoke to reporters yesterday on Air Force One.

Q: "Do you expect President Putin and President Bush -- when you say they've come to a sound footing, do you think that they're going to resolve their differences on missile defense?"

Hadley: "We may. We're hopeful. We're not going to resolve all our differences. You know, this is a complicated relationship."