With the overthrow of Jose Maria Aznar's "Popular Party" in the Spanish elections yesterday, al-Qaeda has learned some very important things. By setting off a few bombs with the probable assistance of the Basque separatist group Eta and killing a "mere" two hundred people or so, they have learned that that can cow an entire nation into appeasing them to avoid further attacks. Like any bully or blackmailer, they'll be back when they want more concessions from the socialist Spanish government. Next time, all they have to do is threaten an attack to get their way. In a cave somewhere on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are exchanging high-fives.

Al Qaeda has learned that they have the ability to control elections in supposedly democratic countries with violence.  Does anyone really think that having proven this ability, they won't use it? One thing the Spanish appeasers have done is guarantee a wave of terrorist violence just before the November elections.

Not only have we lost a valuable ally in the War on Terror, we have lost an entire Western nation to the socialists, who lost power in 1996 due to widespread corruption. Middle East expert Mansoor Ijaz said, "This particular election result in Spain is probably the single most important event that has taken place since the attacks on Sept. 11 because it demonstrates that terrorism, in fact, can pay." He added, "And now one of the governments that supported the United States has fallen." 

It's a black day for democracy, freedom, and the fight against worldwide terrorism.