The New York Times reports that the Spanish election outcome is to be read as a "Blow to Bush" -- at least that's the headline. But read the article:
The ouster of the center-right party in Spain, only days after a terrorist bombing that may be linked to Al Qaeda, is the first electoral rebuke of one of President Bush's most steadfast allies in the Iraq war.One could well have titled this story "Spanish Knuckle Under to Terror Demands", but the myopic Bush haters at the Times see it -- as they see everything -- only on the narrow helps/hurts Bush axis. Somedays I think they'd destroy their own newspaper if they thought it would hurt Bush. Oh, wait... Posted by Kevin Murphy at March 15, 2004 08:54 AM | TrackBack
When France and Germany balked at supporting the war on Iraq, the Spanish prime minister, José María Aznar, stood publicly by Mr. Bush at a summit meeting in the Azores a year ago this week, and just days before the war began. Now voters have elected the opposition Socialists, although the center right was leading in the polls until the terrorist attack.
The Bush administration must now fight the perception, accurate or not, that acts of terror against America's allies can sway nations into rethinking the wisdom of standing too closely with Mr. Bush.