" I don't judge an anti-terror policy by how many suspects are arrested after the fact."
How would you judge it?
"The Spanish voters did EXACTLY what Al Qaeda told them to do just days after the bombing. They allowed the terrorists to choose their next government."
I doubt Al Qaeda wanted them to continue to hunt their leaders. Over here, we have a long experience of dealing with domestic terrorism, as do the Spanish, and todays events will not in any way deflect from dealing with that.
" I don't judge an anti-terror policy by how many suspects are arrested after the fact."
"How would you judge it?"
By preventing terrorist attacks and killing terrorists.
"I doubt Al Qaeda wanted them to continue to hunt their leaders."
That's a really weak argument. Just because the Spanish haven't entirely abandoned their own domestic security means the terrorists didn't win?
When you allow your attacker to choose your government, you have surrendered. Period.