I think the point is, many of us feel that Zapatero would have never been elected if 3-11 had not occurred and thus, Spain succumbed to the threat of terrorism.

I must admit that MM has a better handle on the political climate of Spain than I ever will. However, if I was a foreigner to the U.S., and watched the network media here to gain some insight into the political climate of the U.S., I would have been convinced that Mr. Heinz would have won by a landslide. What I am saying is, the media goes out of it's way to demonstrate how unpopular the right's view is. I'm sure they do in Spain also.

BTW, I'm reading a book called "Citizen Hughes" and read that Dan Rather was beaten to the floor, by the Chicago police under mayor Daly. Made my day..

This may come as a shock to you MadridMan, but other people were actually aware of the Aznar/ Zapatero polarization regarding Spain's participation in the coalition. Also, other people were actually aware that "plans" for withdrawal were part of the Zapatero campaign platform before the Atocha attack.

However, if you think for even one moment, that the Atocha bombings were not calculated by Al-Queda to influence the elections, and hasten the departure of Spain from Iraq, then you are being naive. Why do you suppose that the Aznar government was so hoping that the bombing could be laid at the feet of the ETA. The bombing propelled Zapatero to victory and Zapatero accelerated the withdrawal from Iraq to avoid any more bombings. The terrorists won that round and no amount of sugar coating about prior plans to withdraw can change that. Even if all of this were not true, Spain has rendered itself vulnerable to terrorists, just by the appearance of what they have done. There is every reason for ETA to continue their disgraceful acts because they too, can hope for appeasement. Terror thrives on appeasement and there will be no peace until this concept is universally recognized. By the way, I am not afraid to disagree with you, something that I sense is "not done" on this board. I share your love of Spain but not to the degree that it blinds me from seeing things as they actually are.

I recently returned from two years of active duty with CENTCOM Headquarters. It was a great shame that the Spanish troops were pulled before the original date. They were really doing a good job. It is good to see that the Spanish government is coming around and helping out in other areas. Sorry I can't be more specific, but there has been a change in the last couple months.

In any case, now that I am a private citizen and speaking for myself and my family, I'd like to thank Spain for the good work their people did in Iraq and the sacrifices that they made. The contributions of all of the coalition members are held in high regard.

ETA is back.

ccplaner, the problem is that my fellow citizens (at least the vast majority) continue to think that spanish troops (just a thousand soldiers and a medical ship) went to Iraq to invade it.

We sent F-18s to bomb Serbia under NATO flag and without a UN resolution and people said nothing. In Iraq we sent less than a thousand soldiers and a medical ship to aid population, and people opposed it to the point hundreds of thousands filled the streets in demonstrations.

What was the difference? Under my point of view only one: manipulation of certain political parties (PSOE and IU).

I think that our troops were doing a good job, and I'm happy our current government has decided again to support the US.

But back to the topic and answering Puna's questions: I don't think ETA intended to influence on the next EU voting in Spain. The majority of the parties support "Yes" to the EU Constitution.

Fernando

Thanks Fernando,

It's so good of you to provide insight into current Spanish politics. The similarities between the politics of Spain and the political climate in the U.S. has more similarities than differences. Your comments confirm all my suspicions.

Our former president bombed an aspirin factory and the left didn't say squat. And yet President Bush ousts a tyrant and all we hear is "Where's the weapons of mass destruction?" Go figure.

Dave B: I can assure you sir that there have been many disagreements on this board. Some have become very heated. Usually it is over some political ideal. When it gets to the point that keyboards and monitor screens are starting to smoke all over the world, then MM steps in and shuts down the thread. For the most part keep it clean, and to some degree sane, and everything will be okay. But rest assured, there have been many disagreements on this board, if you don't believe it go back through some of the old posts.

Thanks Fernando -