David warren: Rotten Europe ("…Al Qaeda will forget about Spain, so we will be less frightened.")

The Ottawa Citizen ^ | March 16, 2003 | David Warren

[quidnunc]

Three days after the worst terror attack in continental Europe since World War II, Spain voted to capitulate. In compliance with the demands made in an Al Qaeda videotape, the Socialist prime minister elect, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, announced yesterday that Spain would withdraw its 1,300 troops from Iraq -- unless, of course, the U.S. turns over the whole operation to the incompetent United Nations. We have seen the spectacle of nine million Spaniards, demonstrating their grief in the streets, their hands raised and painted white in a poignant gesture of mass surrender.

This quotation, to a New York Times correspondent in Madrid by "David", a 26-year-old window frame maker who would not give his surname, tells the whole story. He explained why, at the last minute, he had changed his vote from Popular to Socialist: "Maybe the Socialists will get our troops out of Iraq, and Al Qaeda will forget about Spain, so we will be less frightened."

It should be juxtaposed with this quotation from Mark Steyn, in Britain's Daily Telegraph: "So the choice for pluralist democracies is simple: You can join Bush in taking the war to the terrorists, to their redoubts and sponsoring regimes. … Or you can stick your head in the sand and paint a burqa on your butt. But they'll blow it up anyway."

For Al Qaeda, it is a huge victory after 30 months of continuous setbacks. They have tried a new tactic, and it works. They have shown that by massacring large numbers of innocents on the eve of a Western election, they may persuade the survivors to vote as they wish. Count on it: they will not now abandon this tactic. And they are likely to try it in the United States as well, to defeat President Bush in November, thanks to that Spanish capitulation.

-snip-

One must not, under the present circumstances, sound an uncertain trumpet. All men of goodwill, regardless of nation, are fighting the Jihadists in Afghanistan and Iraq, as we fought the Nazis in Italy and France; and if the Americans must fight them alone, so be it. Then as now we made a lot of blather about "democracy". But screw democracy, we are fighting an enemy of civilization, an embodiment of real evil. There is no compromise with such an enemy, no capitulation to him, no way to avoid casualties, no easy way out. We defeat him, or he defeats us.

We do not retreat because our allies are cowards. We continue to fight, for ourselves, for our children, and for their children.

-snip-

[quidnunc]

FYI

[Mike Darancette]

ETA won't forget.

[Ophiucus]

ETA won't forget.

The US voters better not forget come November.

[albertabound]

I commend and appreciate your balanced reporting of Canadian journalistic opinion. I wonder however, will it generate any play.

[Tax Government]

Let's find something about Spain to boycott.

Let's ask the British to make Gibraltar a shining example of what the Spanish despise on their doorstep (nuclear weapons, nuclear/chemical dumps, massive military bases).

Take away Spain's most-favored-nation status. Change the visa policy, making it harder for Spanish to visit.

Put an Israeli military base on Gibraltar.

[DarthMaulrulesok]

The Spanish shoud expect more attacks from al-qaida, followed by demands to restore the Islamic Caliphate in Spain. After all, if terrorism brings them one victory, why not more?

[Billthedrill]

A brilliant article. Thanks for posting.

There is no ambiguity in what has happened in Spain. The rotten heart of Europe has been exposed. The best comparison one can make is to Europe in 1940, when the entire continent had capitulated to Nazism and fascism, leaving Britain alone to fight. It thus came to be known as "Churchill's war", rather than "Hitler's war", only to revert when the Allies had won it, and a generation of Europeans, who had not lifted a finger, decided retrospectively that they had been in the Resistance.

That is absolutely savage. It wouldn't be if it weren't true.

[albertabound]

Warren is obviously wondering if they plan to blow up a bunch of Canadians or Americans in order to influence the outcome of our close and highly contested national elections scheduled to be held this year?

[Billthedrill]

Well, I can't speak for the Canadians, but I can assure you that an attack on that scale in the U.S. would result in Bush trotting out Kerry's "terrorism is exaggerated" quote and a landslide on the order of Reagan-Mondale.

[Paleo Conservative]

The Spanish shoud expect more attacks from al-qaida

Oh come on now. They've fed the alligators.

[lainde]

Bttt

[Adrastus]

We'd best get used to the idea that this not a political fight. It's one based on religious conviction. These people don't want compromise. They want it all and will not settle for less. Poor, self emasculating "David." Certainly a dead man walking.

[albertabound]

Such an act would backfire up here as well. Warrens comments fairly represent the Canadian attitude towards this type of terrorism.

[pragmatic_asian]

"We continue to fight, for ourselves, for our children, and for their children."

Children shouldn't be having children.

[sunshine state]

Bump!

[philetus]

I didn't hear the fat lady sing.

[rrrod]

good one!...news accounts from euroscum have suggested they move waaaaaaaaaay away from the US and fight the terrorist themselves...while i believe moving away from us is a great idea, the idea of them fighting terror is laughable, the spain election proved they are closer to the terrorist side than to our side. spain had been active in rounding up terrorist and tossing them in jail..france too to some degree, germany on the other hand lets them go. it is extremely doubtful terrorist will hit much more of europe...why hurt their allies?...even if an event should happen we can count on it being GWB's fault

[Paleo Conservative]

I didn't hear the fat lady sing.

I think she's desert.

[optik_b]

Terrorists will most likely strike Great Britain since they are our chief ally and support for troops in Iraq has been tepid. England is in grave danger in their coming elections. If the results there are as disastrous as in Spain we will be left with no real allies in Iraq and be the most isolated internationally we have ever been.