Are Poles starting to go off Americans?

A new opinion poll suggests that this is so (pictured: Presidents Bush and Kwasniewski).

The CBOS opinion pollsters report that Poland’s three favorite nations are Italy, Britain and Spain.

Unfortunately, Poles still seem to have some unhealthy prejudices against Arabs and Roma gypsies.

But the main surprise in the CBOS survey is that support for the US has decreased this year by sixteen percent. Americans now rank alongside Czechs - a nation Poles have never had a great affection for.

But why?

After all the support that Polish governments have given the US – in the so-called ‘War on Terror', in the War in Iraq, and so on – many here are smarting that the US has not given Poles visa free travel. Even though Poland has given America tender loving care and special treatment over the years - especially since 9/11 - this love and care appears to be unrequited.

And now we have the CIA ‘gulag’ scandals, making Poles fear that they are rapidly going up the al-Qaeda hit list.

If George W. Bush is stuck for a few ideas for Polish Christmas presents this year, then may I suggest that a plane ticket to Washington, but without the usual queue at the Embassy in Warsaw for a visa, would slip inside the Polish stocking very nicely.