Not a wakeup call for European cowards
 Those who expected the horrible scenes of carnage in Madrid to be a wakeup call for Europeans, now appears sadly mistaken.
In the United States, after 9/11-01, only the lunatic fringe argued that the country "brought this on itself" through perceived or real unethical practices of the past.
In continental Europe, blaming the victim is the mainstream position. The European press today holds Aznar responsible for the attacks, not Bin Laden.
If ETA had been responsible for the attacks, they would have been met with the total rage, especially from the Spanish population. Al-Qaeda is more considered a natural hazard than an expression of absolute nihilistic evil. To Europeans, the war on terror has been America's war, and stupidly, America and everybody allied to America is blamed for the terrorist attacks.
Ignored is the fact that al-Qaeda was established in Europe, and particularly in Spain, even before 9/11-01. Spain has been one of the primary entrance points to Europe for North African immigrants, most of them Muslims, and some of them obviously extremists. Spain was used by terrorists planning the deadly attacks on the US, and the country has been an unwilling host to a number of al-Qaeda cells ever since. One of them, it now appears likely, carried out the March 11 attacks on Madrid trains. That Spain was a target that the Islamofascists could hit is really sufficient reason for the country being hit. That Spain participated in Iraq, and was (rightly) perceived as weak on terror, is another.
The Islamist online policy document earlier discussed here has become a chilling prediction. Spain was predicted as the weakest link in the war on terror and George Bush's coalition of the willing. A majority of Spain's voters gave them right.
Evidence of Islamist involvement has grown steadily. Yesterday's El Pais reported that an Arabic document found on the internet suggested that al-Qa'eda was planning an attack before the elections.
Spain was identified as "a weak link" in the US-led coalition in Iraq as the document noted that a majority of Spaniards was against the war.
"For the maximum effect" it suggested an attack just before the elections. "Spain could not tolerate more than two or three attacks without having to withdraw its troops from Iraq."
A video statement claiming to be from al-Qa'eda which was broadcast on the eve of the election appeared designed as an appeal to Spanish voters.
It described the Madrid massacre as "a response for your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies".
A large majority of the Spanish opposed the war in Iraq from the start, and this carefully timed message from al-Qaeda found resonance with enough voters to oust the Popular Party from power.
The socialist winner of the election, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has today announced that he intends to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq.
European media has politely not even asked if this will be perceived as giving in to terrorism, and making sure that al-Qaeda accomplished exactly what they wanted. Nobody mentions the elephant in the room. Well, except the Telegraph.
Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, one of the leading Socialist Party figures, told the Telegraph yesterday that it would put withdrawal from Iraq at the top of its agenda.
"One of the first decisions will be to bring the troops back home," he said. "We have said that we would pull them out by June 30.
"We have always believed it has not been a legitimate occupation of a foreign land and has no constitutional basis."
Mr Lopez Aguilar denied that this could be seen as a victory for the terrorists. "It is not intended to send any message to al-Qa'eda. It is a political commitment," he said.
Ironically, elsewhere it is reported that on the top of his agenda looms the fight against terrorism:
"My immediate priority will be to fight terrorism, and the first thing I will do tomorrow -- Monday -- will be to search for the unity of the political forces to concentrate all of our efforts in that fight."
Indeed, the top priority of Spain's new government is rushing to give in to terrorist demands.
Intended or not, this sends a message loud and clear to al-Qaeda and the entire Muslim world: Europe is weak on terror. If we are threatened, and especially if we are attacked, we will cower and we will give in to terrorist demands. The people will be raging, not against the perpetrators of the cold murder of hundreds of innocents, but against the leaders who uncompromisingly stood up to fight the terrorists, inviting their attention.
In El Pozo, where one of the trains exploded, the Socialist Party was expecting its usual landslide victory. Many in the neighbourhood had lost friends or family in the explosion. "The government is to blame for the attacks," said Tamara Pizarro, 20. "France and Germany stayed out of the war, so they have nothing to fear. Aznar has blood on his hands." [...]
"Aznar got his war, but we got the dead," said Victoria Ruiz, 38, a Socialist Party helper at the polling station. She said Spain's involvement in Iraq had given al-Qa'eda a reason to attack it. "Now I am frightened. Al-Qa'eda is not like Eta, it's like a ghost. You don't know who you're fighting."
No doubt the attack and its massively successive aftermath will lead to repeated calls for withdrawal from Iraq in other European countries, including Denmark and Norway. If these leftist demands are not sufficient to accomplish the goal, al-Qaeda knows how to give them greater support in the population.
The voters of Spain have invited the terrorists to hit us again, to kill more of us, because they have shown the world that we will give in to their demands.
Update: I am not alone in these sentiments. Tim Blair has a good overview of blog responses to the Spanish disaster. My countryman Bjørn Stærk is delivering a blunt message to the Spanish voters today:
Yours is the kind of stupidity that kills. It may kill more of you, next time, or more of us. You've spoken up on behalf of Europe, for all the world's terrorists to hear, and all you've got to say is "We surrender! And please let us know, by the usual method, if there are any more of our policies you disagree with".
Precisely.
10:55:29 AM 
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