Thanks, We Won't Forget This

From Captain Ed:

Poland Stands By The Coalition

A hearty round of applause, please, for our allies in Poland who understand the necessity of guarding freedom and democracy.

Despite an earlier indication that the Poles would stick to a withdrawal timetable that would have seen their 1500-troop contingent leave Iraq within a few weeks, Poland announced instead that it would maintain its forces in Iraq throughout 2006 in keeping with a request from the new Iraqi government.
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In a time when European politicians often fall back on reflexive anti-Americanism to score short-term political points, let's remember that some of our friends understand the stakes involved in the Iraqi front of the war on terror. Three cheers for the brave and steadfast Poles.

And Elephants in Academia notes:

Good for new Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. Good for the Poles. I commented some weeks ago that our support for democracy in Poland had turned a country that was at best neutral-to-hostile during the Cold War into a staunch ally.

This is something to consider when someone asks you why we are bothering to support democracy in Iraq.