Yesterday Bob blogged about the Lithuania proposal to host the U.S. anti-ballistic missile shield as a bluff related to Vilnius’s energy desperation and Washington’s pressures on Poland. Today the Associated Press takes his cue:

Eastern Europe sees bluff in reports the US is eyeing Lithuania for missile defense base As talks on building an American missile defense site in Poland have bogged down over Polish demands for massive military aid, word emerged this week that Washington is eyeing Lithuania as an alternative site. But observers in Eastern Europe are skeptical that Washington would consider Lithuania seriously, suggesting it’s a stratagem to ratchet up pressure so President George W. Bush gets a deal before he leaves office in January. “I think it’s just a political game,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of the magazine Russia in Global Affairs. “I think it’s an attempt to show Poland that if they continue to resist, then the contract could go other places.”