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Europe

Spain Votes in Election After Attacks

2004-03-14

Spaniards voted Sunday in general elections thrown wide open by a reported al-Qaida claim that it staged deadly rail bombings last week to punish the government for supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Protesters shouted "murderer" at the ruling party candidate as he cast his ballot.

What were the protesters protesting? The election? Did they vote? And what'd the voters shout, in anything?

Some voters also blamed the government for Spain's worst terror attack, saying President Jose Maria Aznar invited the attention of Osama bin Laden's terror group by allying Spain with Washington in the invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Fueling anger were suspicions that the government withheld information in the investigation to avoid political fallout from the Thursday bombings, which killed at least 200 people and wounded about 1,200. The government had initially blamed the Basque separatist group ETA. "I didn't intend to vote, but changed my mind," said Javi Martin, 30, who works for a TV station in Madrid. "And not because of the attacks, but because of the responsibility of the Popular Party. They gave out information drop by drop. It would have benefited them if it were ETA."

My guess is that they got information drop by drop and handed it out as they got it. Cheeze, I hate spin...

Evidence of al-Qaida involvement grew after the government announced finding a videotape in a trash can Saturday on which a man says the Islamic terror group was punishing Spain for its support of the Iraq war. An Arabic-speaking man called a Madrid TV station to say the tape was there, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said. Earlier in the day, three Moroccans and two Indians were arrested over the bombings, which killed 200 people and wounded 1,200. Spain's El Pais newspaper, citing the interior ministry, reported that the Moroccans are linked to Abu Dahdah, the jailed alleged leader of al-Qaida's Spanish cell. Authorities in Morocco said Sunday they could not confirm that. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday it is too early to say whether al-Qaida was behind the bombings. "It's just premature to make a judgment. I don't think we know enough, and the Spanish are very good at these kinds of investigations. And I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of it," Powell said. Before the attacks, polls gave ruling the Popular Party and its candidate, Mariano Rajoy, a 3-5 percentage point lead over the Socialists and their leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in the race for the 350-seat Congress of Deputies. President Aznar is not seeking a third term; in the outgoing legislature, his party had 183 seats.

Guess we'll know by this evening, won't we?

In the videotape, the male speaker says: "We declare our responsibility for what happened in Madrid," according to a government translation of the statement delivered in Arabic. "It is a response to your collaboration with the criminals Bush and his allies."

Posted by:Fred

#3 Truth has been trumped in the coverage of this tragedy. Yes, this is all spin re cover up. From the beginning the Spanish govt. has not discounted an AQ/Jihadi attack. Based on the evidence, they suspected more so ETA. We've all seen the evidence that would lead investigators to follow this trail. On TV, I saw the van found in the parking lot with the Arabic tapes and docs THE FIRST DAY of coverage. A cover up? Hardly. Then a couple of separate announcements made by Min of Interior himself on the arrests, then on the tape (audio or video?) pointing more to Jihadist groups. A cover up? Hardly. A cover up means just that. All ETA til after the election, not three days of announcements before polls open, thus weakening the govt in power, aka the evil conspirators. THEN admit a Jihadist plot. Le deroulement of the information coming out has been prompt. Oh, but say the anit-Bush/Aznar folks, we made the warmongers see how their plot would never work, so that is why they are telling us the truth now; we have imposed the will of the people on them and they have scurried. Vote them out! Thus, the discussion is not how to nails the bastards who perpetrated the act, but the guys who have to close the barn door. Has anyone noticed any criticism of the PP questioning if it allowed bombs to go off to place blame on ETA only to keep itself in power? I haven't. So why is there even any criticism at all of PP in this instance? Answer: Because Aznar let the Cowboy lead him around by the nose re Iraq, eventhough Spain was not part of invading force. IIRC, Spain sent trooops many months after The Statue came down. It's all about the Cowboy.

I have been ruminating a lot for the past year on how the WOT and Iraq and its intended and unintended consequences are portrayed and analyzed in the various spin machines of the appeasers in the public forums of activist groups and their sympathizers in the media. This relationship between the appeasers is our new Internationale. There are those in all NATO/EU countries and elsewhere who know deep down know that now is the time to take a stand. But it is the "awkward" way. These folks like Blair, Bush, Aznar, Berlusconi, the Polish govt, Dutch govt, Danish govt., Hungarian govt, et al, understand they will be ridiculed and painted at every opportunity as agents who have made our world more dangerous, while all they are doing is trying to clean up the mess left over from, number 1, the USSR's involvement in Afghanistan, the West's tossing up its hands in subsequent years after having failed to make the Afghan warlords and ethnic leaders give up a bit of power for the good of the county, thus creating the vaccuum for the ISI to bring in the Taliban.

The second mess to be cleaned up is the UN Coalition's inability to remove Saddam after GWI. How many times have we heard Kerry and Dean say that THAT was an example par excellence of multilateralism? Dean was spewing it out today on Meet the Press, as a matter of fact. The only problem with that arrangement was all had to agree to go up to Baghdad and remove him, and since the mission as laid out and agreed upon in the UNSC was only for the liberation of Kuwait, and not the overthrow of Saddam, Bush/UN/Saudis/Frogs/Brits got cold feet. We would have been oversteping the mandate, thus going against the international community so cher to Kerry/Dean. Which honest newspaper takes that line on a not only once, but continuous basis? None. Sure Steyn, Nat. Review, Weekly Standard do, but they are cancelled out by the Nation, Peter Jennings, et al. The New Republic is only Dem organ to think out of the box. Bravo to it. Back to my point. Thus the Current Coalition of the Willing today has to act since those who are criticizing today didn't do the job when it could have been done re Saddam

The awkward way, however, is the only way forward. Here's hoping the Spanish keep PP in power. Have a peaceful Sunday, folks.

Posted by: michael 2004-3-14 4:24:19 PM

#2 The Iberian Notes blog is picking up and translating short biographies of each the victims as printed by a Spanish newspaper. I picked this one out more or less at randon:

"Inmaculada Castillo Sevillano, office worker, 39, Alcala de Henares. Inma was a widow; her husband had drowned when he was 31 and she was 29. She leaves two orphan children, a girl of 19 and a boy of 15. Inma had a hard road, working non-stop to support her children, to whom she was very close. Despite her misfortune, she was a lively and cheerful person, say her friends."

To which I would only add: Fuck you, Osama.

Posted by: Matt 2004-3-14 1:19:53 PM

#1 Spain is one of the more prosperous countries in Europe. A number of years under a socialist agenda should level the economic playing field. This election is a combination gut-check and brain-check for their society. Which route will they choose after theirown Pearl Harbor?

Posted by: Super Hose 2004-3-14 1:02:59 PM

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