Simply put.

The question I think we should be seriously asking is how we got here.

At least some of the answer is that we have been tolerating the undisguised corruption of our democratic process.

We think the best we can do is hold our noses every four years and vote for someone who is not the other guy.

They're just the three boogiemen you're conditioned to spit out. Just as you're conditioned to think that people are either for war with Russia or for Putin's owning the former USSR. That it's a binary choice between the two.

Look back to August of 1914 - why did Russia go into WWI?  It was to back up the Serbs against Austria-Hungary.  Skip forward to the 1990's, after the Soviet Empire collapsed.  The Balkans collapsed into tribal violence, and NATO got involved to protect the Kosovar Muslims from Serbia.  The Russians were very angry about that whole thing, and protested a lot, but they were powerless to affect things then.

Now skip forward to this year, when the US (and a few European nations) recognized Kosovo's independence.  To understand how serious the Serbs thought that was, you have to realize how they feel about the lost battle of 1389 against the Ottoman Empire.  None of this excuses what the Serbs did during the 1990's war, but the Russians took the entire process that liberated Kosovo as an insult.

So skip forward to now - the Russians have had their noses rubbed in their weakness over Serbia and Kosovo (repeatedly to their way of thinking).  They've lost the "near abroad" provinces (like Georgia).  Many of those new countries are leaning towards the West and the US.  Add in historic Russian paranoia, and you have a perfect spot for Russia to take some revenge: a US leaning nation in their backyard.

The problem is that no one puts all these pieces together - not on the left, not on the right.  

Poland has been demanding Patriot batteries from the U S for 18 months (link HERE).
Poland has a historical basis for fearing a resurgent Russia. Remember, WWII started when Germany invaded Poland, and Russia immediately invaded the eastern half of Poland, along the way executing 22,000 Polish army officers, lawyers, police, professors, journalists, priests and government officials.

If the latest Russia invasion of an independent country resurrected those Polish fears, well, who can blame the Poles?

Whether the U S approval of the Polish demands is a rash provocation, or a legitimate attempt to demonstrate to the Russians that their invasion of Georgia has consequences, only time will tell.

Russia whacking Georgia is roughly what the U.S. would do if Mexico suddenly decided to attack Texas and take it back from the U.S.

It's not pretty, but if anybody's making an imperialist power grab here, it's Georgia.  Russia has neither the means nor the least desire to take over Georgia again.

The installation of ABM interceptors has been an ongoing effort for at least three years. Although the capabilities of the systems to intercept modern ICBMs with independently target Warheads is under debate ( 10-80%) effectiveness the ability to intercept single Warhead non maneuverable ballistic missiles is high. This capacity is enhanced when the system is augmented by other layers of missile defense.

These missiles have neither the warhead capacity or the guidance systems to be used as offensive weapons. They, at best, would have the same capacity as a $500 mortar shell.

Serious analysts project Russian fear of these weapons as a reaction to :

1. Diminishing the already remote likely hood of a successful Russian Preemptive strike

2. (More likely) It weakens the utility of Russia's tactical nuclear (SS20) capacity which is remains a key component of Russian planning from Soviet Era doctrine. This capacity should not be ridiculed before some intensive war game scenario projections are analyzed.