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After all, we know from our own history that domestic prosperity is a key determinant of election outcomes; and if people were browned at Aznar over immigration issues, then they'd have been a lot more peeved with him after the bombing, because the immigrants are -- guess who? -- mostly North African Arabs. Moors -- Moros! Big scare-word in Spanish history, going back to Tariq and Ben Yusuf.

I hope you're right and I'm dead wrong. And you're right to talk me down from the ledge too. I feel like Rava in that Seinfeld skit.

However, do you really think that the ruling party's loss is because of immigration? The talk coming from Spain before the onset of the Iraq war convinced me of no such thing.

Besides any extranneous (sp?) issues, the real issue, as far as I can tell is that they voted to increase the numbers and power of those who would pull Spain out of the Coaltion/alliance of the willing.

But again, here's hoping you're right and I'm wrong!

However, do you really think that the ruling party's loss is because of immigration? The talk coming from Spain before the onset of the Iraq war convinced me of no such thing.

Since I posted to you originally, I've had a double dose of ABC News (radio and TV). I can tell they're spinning furiously, as their TV show disclosed by casually introducing us to someone they've probably been looking for, for weeks -- someone who lost a son in Iraq and has turned bitter against the Bush Administration (but then, as Rush was remarking Friday, in comments rebroadcast Sunday, the 'Rats are canvassing for WTC survivors and widows who will denounce Bush over, e.g., the Bush campaign ads, and use Democratic "talking points" to do it). So ABC is playing at Tokyo Rose and Hanoi Hannah again.

But as some polling data quoted by someone who called Michael Savage's show on Friday* appear to demonstrate, the Aznar government in Madrid was four points ahead as of the previous weekend, and such strength as the socialists had was flowing from the usual "Euro-crapweasel" Left sentiments of numbers of Spaniards. ABC argued, and produced a standup interview or two to maintain (but remember their treacherousness) that the difference was a large uptick in young, apathetic voters who customarily lean left but than don't vote. (Sounds like our 'Rat friends. Young and empty, devoid of responsibility and deficient in practical knowledge and wisdom, they're easy to engage with tony rhetoric about saving the world/spotted birds/trees/oxygen/life, but very hard to get to the polls to vote their buncombe.

Later analysis, then, is that you were probably right and I was overoptimistic.

Now let's hope I've merely been poisoned by ABC.

*Rush and "Savage Nation" Friday shows are rebroadcast on Sundays locally. I heard these programs while driving around Sunday.