Spanish Popular Party Admits Defeat

This is just no good. The Popular Party of Jose Maria Aznar admitted defeat to the Socialist Workers Party days after the bombings in Madrid.

Many are attributing the lose to Aznar's support of U.S. policy after 9/11. This seems unlikely since the Popular Party was expected to win the election which leaves only one reason for the loss.

The Madrid bombings of last week.

This is a very bad precedent. Either Spaniards turfed the Popular Party due to the bombings themselves (ie. they caved into terrorism), or either for the governments immediate reaction after the bombing and their initial statements that it was ETA that was responsible.

Since the government had every reason to place ETA at the top of the list of suspects, it looks like the people of Spain may have caved into the terrorists. I'll check out some Spanish blogs in the hope of gaining some insight but this really worries me.

First we have the terrorists being emboldened, knowing that if they strike they be able to take down governments that are vocal in the War On Terrorism. And second we have European governments that have to accept that if terrorists strike, it will be them who will be blamed and possibly removed from power.

A lot will depend on how the new Spanish Prime Minister adjusts Spain's foreign policy but we'll have to wait and see. This could be very bad.

UPDATE: Here is what Nelson Ascher has to say at EuroPundits:

Today's election in Spain proved that what didn't work in Israel worked pretty well and will go on working in Europe. Many Europeans seem to think that if they allow the Islamofascists to kill Jews, Americans and other Muslism without interfering and, by the way, sponsoring them, they'll be left alone. Islamism became today the real power-broker in the European continent. Sometime in the future some European government will try to fight them and, after a bombing or two, it will be deposed by voters decided
to become, in practice, "dhimmis" rather than to risk their necks. The Thursday bombers gave the orders and the Spanish voters followed them. That means that shariah is beginning, slowly, to be imposed on the whole continent. Wait for more of the same. As Churchill once said, they'll have both war and dishonour.

UPDATE II: From John at Iberian Notes:

A victory for appeasement. A victory for cowardice. The Spanish people demonstrated today that they have no courage.