There is a lot to take from what happened in Spain the last few days.

First, Dean was right, we are not safer than we were pre-Iraq. I don't know why this was such a voodoo thing to say. He was 100% right. Iraqi's weren't trying to kill Americans every day (discounting the no fly zones). Al Queda, though weaker was positively affected by Iraq. They now have another failed state to work out of.

Second, DO NOT LIE TO THE CITIZENRY!!! The PP Spaniards tried to play politics with the attack. They insisted it was done by anyone but foreign terrorists. They spun, withheld, colluded and did everything else possible in this 2 day misinformation campaign. Thankfully the police and Spanish intelligence aren't as corrupt as parts of our government. I fear that the collusion in this government and endowment of fear may keep vital information from a frightened population.

Third, the Bushies do not like dissent. They tried hard to push the ETA angle. They do not want other governments changing their ways that supported us in Iraq. They do not want the (fake) coalition to fall apart. Spain leaving Iraq will be very embarrassing for Bushco. They cannot hide this from the American people (unless you watch Faux).

Fourth, Fox news is a big-time shill. There are some things that are too difficult for the Bush regime to respond to. They can't put out their true feelings. Faux has stepped in big-time today. They are trying hard to discredit the Socialists. They are saying Franco is a socialist. They are saying that the terrorists have won in Spain. I heard one of them say that this makes Bush stronger because the Dems are weak on national security. Fair and balanced my ass.

Fifth, Iraq was a huge distraction. The Spanish bombings might not have happened if we didn't dick around in Iraq. North Korea and Zimbabwe might not be running their mouths. We wouldn't have had to wait days to get into Liberia because of troop shortages. They did not put enough troops into Afghanistan for that war. They withheld troops to save them for Iraq. That's partly why Osama is still on the loose. Osama might have been caught if we used the same (or similar) force in Afghanistan. There are so many other situations. Bush has made our military and influence in the world weaker. That's a very bad thing.

Sixth, this proves that terrorists can have an affect of elections. Spain was very anti-war and the bombing helped push the socialists over the top. I think that there are two very possible scenarios here. One is an attack in the US would probably make Bush stronger in the very short term. But it would make him weaker in the long term. The terrorists are probably dumb enough to think that they would get a break with Generalissimo Bush out of power. They would be wrong, but I still think they may take a crack at it. An attack on the US would prove that Bushco have not been handling the terror war correctly. So a bombing here way before the election is probably bad for Bush. If it a few days before like in Spain, Bush might benefit. I think Al Queda might play this game.

Finally, I just want to say that I hope nothing happens in the US. I want to beat Bush and friends fair and square. No help needed from the terrorists. Bush and friends have been lying, spinning and misleading all over the world. I just hope that Americans can see through the Faux bullshit and do the right thing in November. Bush has been a failure on the war on terror, he needs to be replaced.

...Al Qaeda bolsters Bush, Hamas bolsters Sharon, etc.

They know that right-wingers will guarantee the states of "perpetual war" in which terrorism, with its own brand of fascism, can thrive.

I believe that Spain may be throwing a curve ball to the bombers by voting against their preferred party...

PP would have cruised in spain. They didn't need the help.

...don't know if they would've cruised, but hey, I won't claim I know what goes on in the mind of someone who willingly blows the heads off women and children...

...it's all sort of guesswork. But their actions routinely favor their fellow totalitarians...

right wing fascists need each other, it's like a symbiotic, codependent relationship.

The islamofascists of al qaeda need the bush fascists in Washington, and any other fascists. They thrive off of each other.

The good thing about Spain is that it shows the terrorists that this kind of thing does NOT always help the right.

Now in the US, not sure what the effect would be, given how people gathered around Commander Bunnypants like scared sheep after 9/11, "save us, save us..."

The Spaniards showed much more sense, probably because they KNOW what it's like to live in a fascist state.

I don't get why Al Queda would attack to keep the fascists in power when they were assured victory. Attacking would destabilize. That's what I would think they are trying to do.

They need each other. Deep in their hearts, they both want the religious war to end all wars.

However, it is hard to understand what happened in Spain. Perhaps al Qaeda just badly misjudged the situation. I've felt that they really don't have much understanding of how Westerners think. Another explanation could be that they weren't concerned with the outcome of the Spanish elections. bush* and the U.S. are their main enemies, and they just wanted to show the world that those that sided with bush* would be punished. I think that the fact that it was 911 days since 9/11 may have been more important in selecting the date than its proximity to the Spanish elections.

I heard the reporter on one of the national news broadcasts the other day specifically say that we'd have more drone aircraft looking for Osama in Afghanistan/Pakistan except they're "needed in Iraq."

The disinformation in this country is very dangerous.