Obama's Eastern Front - WSJ.com

America can take satisfaction in the progress of this maturing democracy. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush championed Ukraine's difficult but steady path from independence to genuine freedom. The policy grew out of a bipartisan consensus that the West should help the Soviet Union's captive nations to forge their own political paths and choose their allies freely.

The current Administration has other ideas. In a sign of disinterest, the White House took nine months last year to put a new U.S. Ambassador in Kiev. The Administration has also given a cold shoulder to Georgia, which even now remains under partial Russian occupation; we hear President Mikheil Saakashvili can't get his phone calls to the White House returned. On the other hand, Mr. Obama has given a lot of face time to Russia's leaders in the name of "pressing the reset button."