Blow to Bush: An Ally in Spain Is Rejected by Antiwar Voters by DAVID E. SANGER
WASHINGTON, March 14 — The ouster of the center-right party in Spain, only days after a terrorist bombing that may be linked to Al Qaeda, is the first electoral rebuke of one of President Bush's most steadfast allies in the Iraq war.
When France and Germany balked at supporting the war on Iraq, the Spanish prime minister, José María Aznar, stood publicly by Mr. Bush at a summit meeting in the Azores a year ago this week, and just days before the war began. Now voters have elected the opposition Socialists, although the center right was leading in the polls until the terrorist attack.
The Bush administration must now fight the perception, accurate or not, that acts of terror against America's allies can sway nations into rethinking the wisdom of standing too closely with Mr. Bush.
Time after time, President Bush has responded to critics who say he has alienated America's closest allies by pointing to Mr. Aznar as a courageous example of a leader who ignored poll numbers — upward of 90% of Spaniards opposed the war — and who acted in Spain's best interests.
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nytimes.com
I have to agree with you on this one. Even if a foreign leader said that to Kerry they would never confirm it publicly unless they were José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. OTOH, Mr Bush can't even name the leaders of foreign countries, Tom Brokaw is likely to replay that tape again a few more times before November as he did during the democrat debates. |
