Yes, putting the ISS in the high-inclination (russian) orbit was a huge mistake for the US. (You can't launch to a lower inclination than your lattitude, so we chose the lattitude of Baikonur to be "inclusive".)
It costs us a 30% payload penalty every time we launch to the ISS. (We can thank AlGore and clinton for that.)
There is absolutely no way an orbiting shuttle could carry enough fuel to change it's inclination from 39 to 51 degrees.
Well, you can but it costs an expesive dog-leg or two.
Your comments confirm just some of the criticisms that will be heard in weeks and months to come. Lets see if we learn our lesson here or if more mistakes will be permitted.