[Berliner Baer]

The big news just now: Spain announced plans to withdraw its Iraq-troops

Check headlines at news.bbc.co.uk or cnn.com

[KantianBurke]

I've posted this before and will post again - SPAIN SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO SENT THEIR TOKEN FORCE TO IRAQ!! Al Queda was given an easy means to exploit against Spain and for what? So Bush and Powell could have a talking point? Good going guys! Now we've lost a staunch ally in the WOT

[rrrod]

excellant and to the point!

[KangarooJacqui]

As my father (a New Zealander by birth, and right-wing by nature), said whilst watching the news tonight when the Spanish elections came up, "So the terrorists won then."

Where do Europeans GET this "lie-down-roll-over-and-die" mentality when dealing with these savage Islamic curs?

[Batrachian]

You've got to hand it to Al Qaeda. They really knew what buttons to press. They understand European attitudes perfectly.

What's even more worrisome to me than Spain withdrawing their largely symbolic support from OIF is that two and a half years after 9/11 Al Qaeda is still capable of carrying out such effective operations.

Our government only recently said that terrorists are still capable of carrying out "spectacular attacks", and they where certainly correct. Internal security in Europe is clearly not up to snuff.

[metesky]

Ping the list for VDH...

[PogySailor]

VDH bump!

[dfwgator]

Ping.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

... September 11..., March 11, ...Turks were similarly butchered...Saudis were targeted...Moroccans were blown apart...

The slaughter in Bali missed the list.

End terrorism, kill terrorists.

[jonrick46]

I am saddened by the mistaken road taken by the Spanish electorate. Their wrong turn into the jaws of socialism will only add to their misery by showing the terrorist they are a people easily manipulated. It also makes their socialist masters think that that they have a people that will easily be put under the heel of socialism. That is questionable and could cause more social upheaval without a true mandate.

They should have post-poned the elections until things had cooled down and more rational thinking prevailed. All they have done is ran into the windmill full speed.

If the terrorist think they can affect the U.S. elections by pulling off some horrendous killing of innocent Americans, they don't know the metal of the American spirit.
Instead of windmills, the terrorist will suffer the effects of a whirlwind--George W. (for whirlwind) Bush!

[alwaysconservative]

Great article; thanks for posting it! It puts paid to the lie that the left so beguilingly peddles about terrorism. It is heartbreaking that so many young socialists in Spain never learned their history and are willing to return to an appeasement state. Spain was once great, as many other European countries were, but with this misguided vote, they have convicted themselves to following the dictates of the terrorism du jour.

I'll repeat the quote that everyone here is avoiding, because it is both harsh and true: Those who desire security over freedom deserve neither.

[vanmorrison]

The problem with all of this European anti-US nonsense, and Hansen points this out, is that, for some unfathomable reason, the leaders of OUR COUNTRY have allowed these gutless and ungrateful SOBs to continue to use the blood of American soldiers to protect their sorry asses time and again, with no negative repercussions whatsoever to their security and economic interests. This is what blows my mind!

We Americans have allowed this to happen! We can't blame this on the Europeans. We do this to ourselves. After WWII, we dumped trillions into the European rathole with the Marshall Plan, American bases, and NATO support, and for what? Even now, it is very unlikely that Bush, who at least recognizes this, will remove our troops from our bases in countries that use our forces to protect themselves, but who take big s--ts on the very soldiers who have to die to provide this protection.

Over one hundred thousand American servicemen have died in wars large and small, all over the world, since 1945 to show solidarity with these misbegotten and unreliable allies, whose troops never show up in sufficient quantity to make a difference when the s--t hits the fan and bullets start flying. Yet we continue to provide protection and support to these Quislings over and over and over again. Whose fault is this? "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!"

...And JohnEffinKerry is ahead in the polls!

[Fiddlstix]

[nkycincinnatikid]

bump for later read

[prognostigaator]

bump

[Havisham]

The Spanish people, not merely their hyper-liberal elites, have capitulated. Something I never expected. I believe the British electorate will do the same either before or after Al-Qaeda strikes their country. Do the Islamists have the nerve? Or is it even necessary? After all, the European people, with the exception of the Poles who really understand what is at stake, have already surrendered.

[Tolik]

Belated PING

Victor Davis Hanson moral clarity huge BUMP

[please freepmail me if you want or don't want to be pinged to Victor Davis Hanson articles]

If you want to bookmark his articles discussed at FR: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/k-victordavishanson/browse

His NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp

His blog: http://victorhanson.com/index.html

Yes, he is listened by the Bush Administration; they like him maybe as much as we do: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1085464/posts?page=6#6