Al,
re: Despite my opposition to the war, I think this is a sinister precedent, which shows terrorists that they can affect the outcome of an election with an act of terror. I think that pulling troops from Iraq is a mistake on the part of the Spaniards.
Yes, and no. They ran on a platform of removing the troops from Iraq. The tragedy happened before the election, and the public voted, in essence, to recall the troops. I don't think they should change the platform that got them elected. That would certainly piss off the electorate.
That said, I agree with the spirit of your post. The terrorists win be affecting society with relatively scant resources. The more we let them affect us, the more they win. The reason why 9/11 was so effective was not the tragic loss of life, but our response, including huge deficit spending, two wars, freedom repression...
So I agree in principle. But in Spain, the voters have spoken.
John |
