POLISH President Lech Kaczynski has never been an easy partner for other European Union leaders but his fiercely anti-Russian remarks on the Georgia crisis have further isolated him, not only abroad but at home too. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Kaczynski's most probable rival in a presidential election due in 2010, could prove the main beneficiary. “Kaczynski is now totally isolated on the international scene,” said Pawel Swieboda, head of demos-Europa, a pro-European think tank. “He raises European as well as American leaders' eyebrows again and again but nobody cares anymore.” Known for his deep mistrust of Russia and Germany, the conservative, Euro-sceptic Kaczynski reopened rows with Berlin and Moscow over the legacy of World War Two and over energy and security issues. His anti-Russian prejudices have been clearly visible since the Georgia-Russia conflict erupted this month. “We are here to fight,” Kaczynski vowed during a whistle-stop trip to Tbilisi last week to express support for Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. “For the first time in a while, our eastern neighbour showed a face that we have known for hundreds of years. They think other nations should be subject to them. We say no. This country is Russia.” Poland suffered long periods of oppressive rule by Russia's tsars and then communists, and many Poles feel instinctive solidarity with countries such as Georgia that have also tried to escape Moscow's domination. But Kaczynski's critics say he gets carried away by emotion, and that this undermines his message. By contrast, Tusk, a smooth, gently-spoken centrist, has underlined the need for a coordinated EU response during the Georgia crisis. “Even if Kaczynski verbalizes the fear many Poles have about Russia, his style just puts people off,” said Jacek Raciborski, a sociology professor at the Warsaw University. In a series of recent interviews, Kaczynski has accused the Kremlin of imperialistic tendencies and of trying to re-establish hegemony over its ex-Soviet republics and former satellite states in central and eastern Europe. Shield Kaczynski has also strongly supported Washington's plan to deploy parts of a planned global missile defence shield on Polish soil -- a project Moscow opposes as a threat to its own national security. He criticized Tusk's government for not reaching a swift deal with Washington on hosting 10 rocket interceptors in Poland. After months of tough negotiations, Tusk reached an accord only last week -- during the conflict in Georgia -- after Washington agreed to his request to boost Polish air security. The deal was formally signed in Warsaw on Wednesday. When French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, sought to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Georgia, Kaczynski criticized him for not consulting him over the plan. “Unlike many other politicians, Kaczynski really says what he thinks,” Swieboda said. “In fact, he is mostly hurting himself by depriving himself of any chances to influence the ongoing international developments.” But Kaczynski's combative style does not seem to win him much support at home either. “Poles are not fond of Kaczynski's black-and-white vision of the world, his manner of waging politics through permanent conflict inside and outside the country,” Raciborski said. His support among Poles has dwindled to around 26 percent from 54 percent when he became president in 2005, opinion polls show. The level of mistrust Poles feel towards him has risen to 60 percent from 16 percent. Support for Tusk's government, meanwhile, stands above 40 percent. Tusk became prime minister last autumn after defeating Kaczynski's twin brother Jaroslaw in a parliamentary election. “It's a fact. Kaczynski is just less likeable than Tusk,” said Marek Migalski, a political scientist at the Silesia University. “But in my view he (Kaczynski) has the courage to take unpopular decisions.” “If Kaczynski goes on like this, he will only help Tusk score even more points,” one member of Jaroslaw Kaczynski's conservative Law and Justice party told Reuters. “He (Kaczynski) doesn't count in Europe and will lose in Poland.” Tusk, defeated by Kaczynski in the 2005 presidential race, is widely expected to run against him again in 2010. “Compared to Kaczynski, Tusk seems a centrist, rational and balanced leader... Kaczynski's actions are more than good news for Tusk if he decides to run for president,” Swieboda said. - Reuters __
