Terror and Democracy - Here is a couple of articles on the recent tragedy in Spain and the election that directly followed it.

Al Qaeda’s Electoral Victory by Joel Mowbray
Terror and Democracy at Opinion Journal

Hugh Hewitt weighs in on this topic at his website. You can check it out here. Hugh writes:

“Spain voted yesterday and the government that allied itself with America in the war on terror fell. It is being reported as a major defeat in the war on terror, but it is no more a defeat than when the British electorate tossed out Winston Churchill just after the war in Europe had been successfully concluded and the war in the Pacific was on the verge of victory. Free peoples are free to do whatever they want when regularly scheduled elections roll around. There will be no stunning reversals of political fortune in the Arab world in the foreseeable future, except perhaps in Iraq, where Spain has helped plant freedom. Whatever Spain does in the next year will not erase the fact that it stood with the nations with enough courage to act in March, 2003. It is a traumatized country, but a valued ally in the past, the present and the future.”

It saddens me to see the Socialists come into power and everything that the Popular Party has done for Spain come to a quick halt. A great ally withdraws its support. It is a blow against those fighting the global war on terrorism and democracy. What does pulling out Spain’s troops achieve? Does the Socialists and their supporters think that if they bury their heads deep enough in the sand that the terrorists will ignore them? It is not a matter of "if" another attack will come but "when". By pulling out their troops and hiding in a hole they send a message to the terrorists that not only can they influence democracy with violence but with increased attacks stop the campaign against terror. Who will be next? Britain’s rail system seems a likely target. Mowbray writes in his article how vulnerable our rail system is here in America. Will Al Qaeda attempt to influence our elections by killing innocents come November? I hope not but at this moment, it seems likely. The Socialists in Spain used the terrorist attacks to their advantage, but in doing so dealt a blow to those who fight against terror, and sent a message to terrorists to keep up the fight.