"Voters in Spain pulled the lever for al Qaeda on Sunday, and it may only be a matter of months before Osama bin Laden tries to replicate the results in the U.S."
- Joel Mowbray
"When the next bomb goes off--perhaps this time in Poland--the families of the dead should blame the people in Spain who voted to run from terrorists and cower before them instead of standing strong against them.
Sound cruel? Perhaps, but it is the sad truth. The majority of Spaniards decided to follow the illogical path of blaming their President for the attack in Madrid instead of the people who actually carried out mass murder. In doing so, they handed the butchers a victory. Terrorism and murder have been handsomely rewarded this day."
- Barbara J. Stock
"From the standpoint of a political campaign, the Popular Party of Spain made one of the gravest screwups in history, one that spells nothing but trouble for Spain, the United States and the security of the world.
They let al-Qaeda decide who will lead their nation.
- Jay Bryant
Isn't Democracy terrible? I mean without Democracy we wouldn't have to worry about the opinions of the people. Think how much President Bush could accomplish if he didn't have to worry about the election in November. Think about how much more Al-Queda would fear us if they knew that President Bush would be in office for the rest of his life, coming after them. Maybe it's time we as a nation reevaluated what democracy means to our enemies. To them it is weakness. It shows how weak our society is. Perhaps if we abandoned Democracy it would show them how dangerous we really are.
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. - Friedrich Nietzsch
What's striking in the discussion of the tragedy of Spain is the constant repetition by the right that such things can and probably will happen here again as well. In other words, if you support President Bush because you hope there will be no more terror attacks, you have hoped in vain. He hasn't the power to stop terrorist attacks. And yet no conservative president should be held responsible for such attacks, because the alternative is capitulation.
The conservatives propose that there are two alternatives and two alternatives only; the belligerent go-it-alone policy of President Bush and his advisors or total surrender. But, here in reality, there are other alternatives.
"One year ago, I came here to say that the most basic responsibility of government is to provide for the common defense. But that thus far the Bush Administration had "provided too little support, provided too little leadership, and provided too little vision for the common defense of our homeland." One year later we gather again - and the same is true. Whether it has been providing funding and equipment for firefighters, ensuring that cargo in our ports is screened, guarding our chemical and nuclear facilities, or working with local communities across the country to give them the resources they need - this Administration has given our homeland security efforts short shrift. And you deserve better.
I do not fault George Bush for doing too much in the War on Terror; I believe he's done too little. When the focus of the War on Terror was appropriately in Afghanistan and on breaking al Qaeda, President Bush shifted his focus to Iraq and Saddam Hussein. He's pushed away our allies at a time when we need them most. He hasn't pursued a strategy to win the hearts and minds of people around the world and win the war of ideas against the radical ideology of Osama bin Laden. And time and again, George Bush has failed to give those fighting the War on Terror - whether they're overseas or over here - the weapons, equipment, and support they need.
In dangerous parts of Iraq, our helicopters are flying missions without the best available anti-missile systems. Un-armored Humvees are falling victim to road-side bombs and small-arms fire and the Bush Administration waited through month after month of ambushes to act.
And tens of thousands of other troops arrived in Iraq to find that - with danger around every corner - there wasn't enough body armor to protect them."
- John Kerry
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