March 14, 2004

Spanish government admits defeat

Spain's ruling Popular Party has suffered an unexpected defeat in the country's general election.

The poll was overshadowed by claims that al-Qaeda carried out the Madrid bomb attacks that killed 200 people.

What a sad day for Spain, almost sadder in its way than Thursday, because who no knows how long the repercussions from this will last in the future?
This was a black day for Spain for several reasons:
First of all, under Aznar and the Conservatives, Spain had not only secured a place of honor on the right side of the WOT, which is where she should remain if they want to fight terrorism, but the Spanish economy was doing very well.
In fact, Spain's economic growth in recent years was far better than the rest of Western Europe and was showing signs of doing even better.
Under a Socialist-led government, how long will that last?
Secondly, the Popular Party's candidate Rajoy supposedly did poorly because he kept insisting that the 3/11 bombings were done by ETA.
Further, it was "leaked" to the Spanish public that he continued to blame ETA (and not Al Queda/Islamist terrorists) for his party's political gains, because the PP had taken a hard-line on ETA and thought they could win on a platform of taking an even harder line on the Basque separatist group.
When evidence emerged that it was more likely than not Al Queda that was responsible for the 3/11 slaughter, the PP stubbornly stayed with ETA.
Therefore, the Spanish electorate certainly did punish the PP for using the attacks politically.
If you'll remember, President Bush wouldn't state an opinion as to who was responsible for the Madrid blasts, because he knows that the investigation is only beginning and it will reveal who the perpetrators were.
Perhaps if Aznar, Rajoy and the PP had taken more of a "wait and see until all the evidence is in" attitude about assigning blame, they'd have enjoyed re-election tonight.
Perhaps, not, however.
What is the troubling about the voting reversal for the PP--they were expected to win today--is that most Spaniards who went to the polls indicated that their vote shows that they blame the PP for getting Spain into the War on Iraq and as America's ally in the WOT and for that they think Spain was attacked on Thursday, therefore they chose the Socialist candidate who was offering "Peace" and appeasement.
How very tragic that the Spanish people cannot make the mental leap that fighting terrorism in Iraq is a fight against terror on their Spanish own streets:
it's the same Enemy .
(What country did the USA side with in which war to rate us being attacked on 9/11???)
The fact that 200 were killed in the 3/11 bombings and hundreds were wounded is a sorrowful thing, but the WOT wasn't over by a long shot last Thursday and we in the West now all live under the threat of being attacked and have since at least 9/11 (and really long before that).
Leaving the Coalition will be no guarantee of security and safety for Spain so if they elected Zapatero on his promise that he'd do just that with those results, they won't get what they want and Spain still is in danger of having Islamists take over the country from within the "Liberal" way now more than ever now that a Socialist will be taking power.
In today's Telegraph, Barbara Amiel writes a fine editorial on the Spanish election in which she reminds us that Osama Bin Laden had declared that Spain was one of his targets in the fall of 2001:

It is possible that Spain would not have had the explosions at this time if it had stayed on the sidelines in the war against Saddam. Their innocent people, now dead or wounded, blinded and crippled, might have been spared till next month or next year as the acolytes of bin Laden concentrated first on the more visible allies of the Great Satan America. Or not, for Islamists have a special issue with Spain. One should remember the words of bin Laden, who in October 2001 spoke of the "tragedy in Andalusia", a reference to the final ending of the great Muslim advance in the Iberian peninsula by the Moors.

By their own mad statements, the Islamists will not be content until all the lands they believe belong to the Muslim world are free of the infidel and the "humiliation of 80 years ago" is reversed, meaning the reversal of the end of the Ottoman Empire. Given their rather bloody interpretation of the command of the Koran to spread the word to all infidels, unless we pull ourselves together we shall find ourselves spread all over streets and railway lines. In the fight against Satan, it is traditional to have a deity onside. Let's pray by all means - and then pass the ammunition.

The Spaniards should have voted for the person and the political party that has the track record of fighting terrorists and that truly was Aznar's Popular Party.
But the very worst thing of all about the Spanish election today is that the Islamists really were the real winners because now they think if they pull a successful attack that they can sway democratic elections in Western countries.
So, get out your duct tape and if you ride the subway to work, watch out for unattended packages, especially around October.
Spaniards may have marched by the millions against "terrorism," but a march will not stop a bomb, much less 10 (actually 13) bombs...or worse.
The only way to stop a terrorist is to kill them before they kill you. Period.
Even though I firmly believe that most of my fellow Americans will vote with me to reelect President Bush and that our consensus will not be swayed even by a terrible attack here, thanks to Spain, we can almost count on it that they will try to attack us before our November elections in hopes that the Democrat candidate, Dims being the terrorists' best friends, will win and that Bush, "Avenger of the Bones" and bane of IslamoNazis everywhere, will be defeated.
Muchas gracias, Espana.