Until it becomes clear what the US will gain from this reversal of strategy, I would refrain from labeling the decision as "smart". As of now, nothing has been gained from our loss of face. Many Eastern Europeans will applaud the decision, many others will feel we've left them in the lurch. The Russions will be smirking with self satisfaction - which is ok, provided they support our efforts against Iran, rather than obstruct those efforts. I will stand by for events to unfold before I pass judgement.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Russian officials have explicitly said that this will not result in greater cooperation about Iran. Of course, that may only be for public consumption and they may be more pliable in private, but it doesn't seem like a good start.

Anytime you avoid throwing billions down the toilet, it is a smart decision.

"loss of face"

oh no. now we'll all have to commit seppuku

Until it becomes clear what the US will gain from this reversal of strategy

There are at least 4 "gains" for the US:

1. saving billions of dollars that would have been spent deploying a missile system that doesn't work to counter a threat that doesn't exist;

2. not pissing off the Russians, whose cooperation we need on a broad range of issues;

3. Russian agreement to continue to allow our aircraft to cross their territory to supply our bases in Krygyzstan;

4. Russian agreement for them to continue to use their considerable influence with the government of Krygystan to permit our bases to remain there.

On the other side of the coin:

1. The Poles and Czechs are pissed off, not because they give a rat's ass about our security, but because they'll lose billions in US development money and lease payments on land they were using for cows.

Seems to me like a pretty "smart" deal.

Decisions should be made because they're the right thing to do, not because of what others may think of them. Bush made a bad decision, Obama is correcting it.

Nothing was gained, true - but that's Bush's doing, not Obama's.