al-Qaida wins

Well, it appears the Spanish government has changed due to the recent bombings. Now, they say they're pulling their troops out of Iraq. How could this not be seen as a win for al-Qaida?

I hope there isn't a similar attack before the US elections this September. Now terrorists know they can influence elections...but how would the US react if it was us?

Edit: Of course, this is assuming it really was al-Qaida.

Hm. Al Qaeda+Iraq=?

Spain did the right thing. They are still anti-terrorist. After all, they have chosen to pull their army out of Iraq, knowing now that it was both wrong and, in fact, borderline terrorism at this point.

For once, a leader paid heed to what the public requested. The only ounce of terrorism this situation owns is the part where Spain has chosen to no longer be a part of the Bush/Blair Terrorist Brigade.

(How's that for opening a can of worms? But then, wasn't that the intent by opening this thread from the start?)

The major problem with this is that it's showing terrorists that they can influence elections. Supposedly the party that lost was ahead before the attacks (which also would imply that popular opinion on the war wasn't strongly against it, but I don't know for sure).

I wasn't bringing up the war in Iraq, I'm bringing up how it's dangerous to show terrorists how they can influence elections...no worms. You don't think this is bad?

Edit: Actually, even if you think the war was wrong, it's still wrong to want to pull out troops. Spain, by doing that, is making the same mistake the US did for 40+ years by pulling out.

In case there's any doubt this was Al-Quieda, do you know what happened exactly 2.5 years before these attacks in Spain? The date was 9-11-2001...

Popular opinion in Spain was strongly against the war in Iraq. I haven't followed that election closely, but it seems to me that the conservatives might have lost anyway without the bombings. The bombings just lit a fire under those who were sitting on the fence, and made them vote.

Its a pity that it takes mass murder to get people to the polls.

Edit:

Even losers have small victories.

The right thing? I was raised to dislike bullys or being bullied. Murdering innocents for revenge falls in that category, as does all terrorism.

Frankly I'm disgusted with them. Al-Qaida did win this one. With a horrible murder of 200 total innocents, they cowed an entire country. A bandful of psychotic murderers act out of revenge and Spain turns belly-up like a scared puppy. Now they have entire countries to afraid to act in their own defense, perpetuating and empowering a lifestyle of fear-mongering, murder and criminal acts globally.

Yeah, sure, thats the 'right thing'. Maybe after 9-11 we should have just turned into puppys, dropped all support for Isreal, let them be overun and murdered by the thousands, let the middle east fall into a nightmare of islamic fundamentilism, murder and torture. Sure, I guess that would have been the 'right thing' to do then.

Then after that, everytime some lunatic fringe group commits an act of terror, killing hundreds of innocents, we can just immediaately give in to their demands. Why not? That would be the 'right thing' wouldnt it? Better to cringe and cower at every bully, every thug, every maniac willing to commit murder, we'll just immediately do whatever they want.

And no, this point of view has nothing to do with whether or not we were right in going to war with Iraq. It has to do with whether or not you stand up or go hide when governments of murder, torture and terror blow up cars, trains, planes, buses, stores, anything or anywhere they please, to get what they want through fear and blood.

Nono, I'm sorry, this was -not- the 'right thing'.

I'd still like to hear why Al Qaida attacking Spain is directly related to Spain pulling out of Iraq.

Al Qaida has little to nothing to do with Iraq. Spain pulled their army out of Iraq. The Iraq war is wrong. The public did not want to be in that war.

"Cowering like puppies..." You're right; rev up your engines, grab your nearest shot gun, because clearly any time an attack is made, the much more potent response is to create more war rather than begin attempts at making peace.

There is no making peace with terrorists. Their goal isn't peace. Their goal is winning at any cost, no matter how much blood they spill, how much terror they cause, at any cost whatsoever.

I'm sorry you feel that diplomacy is the currency of terrorists, but it's not. That's the big lie of terrorists, they use all the right words, but only before and after the slaughter of innocents to generate fear.

There is no diplomacy with terrorists.

edited for spelling

Thanks Jellin for saying what I was thinking myself.

I don't think you react to terrorism by conceding to their demands or doing something they want. That shows them that they can keep getting what they want if they just keep up the attacks. Honestly I'm quite shocked by this and I thought Spaniards were tougher than that. I guess I'll have to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a spur of the moment emotional reaction that wasn't very thought out. I don't know...

I also don't think this is so much about the war in Iraq, at least it's definitely not JUST the Iraq war. But the reason this attack is linked to Spain pulling out of Iraq is that within days after the attack the election results changed by a swing of something like 8-10 points (if I'm not mistaken).

What I heard personally is that the Socialist party was losing by about 4-5 points before the attacks (according to polls obviously) and then later WON the election by the same margin (so there was an 8-10 pt shift). Even if 90% of Spain was against the Iraq war, apparently it wasn't the deciding factor for many voters before this attack (although perhaps it became one).

This obvious change in the election results changed the government, and the new government is pulling the troops out of Iraq. That's the reasoning for linking the attacks and pullling out of Iraq.

But I would agree that linking ONLY Spain's Iraq policy with these attacks would be wrong; I think there's more to it than that.

That may have been true before and during the war in Iraq, but not any more. Folks with Al-Qaida links have been captured in Iraq lately. Including one with detailed plans on starting a war between the Sunnis and the Shiites. There is also evidence they are behind a lot of the bombings there.