George Bush is responsible for the train bombing in Madrid.

[baldguy]

They keep trying to pin it on Eta, even after they find evidence directly linking al Qiada to the bombing, and al Qiada has claimed responsibility twice, and after they have three suspects with links to al Qiada in custody!

Ever since Bush was installed in office, he's had an obsession with Iraq. Of course, it's not his own but one he inherited from the neo-Con fascists who seem to have had an almost sexual fetish about getting rid of Saddam since 1997. And even after the yearlong orgasm of blood, death, destruction and mayhem - perpetrated mostly against people who had been the VICTEMS of Saddam - the neo-Cons still not satisfied. Our "gift" to the Iraqi people is not freedom and democracy - students of history know that a people can only earn these by through a long and difficult struggle. The Iraqis will remember America for killing tens of thousands of their people, bringing chaos and civil strife, giving them a corrupt government made up of self-serving opportunists who are hand-picked by the corrupt self-serving opportunists in the Bush Administration. And after the Bushies declare victory and leave the quagmire to the Iraqis themselves will be left with either a dictatorship or a civil war.

While he has been distracted with the tragedy in Iraq, he's given al Qiada exactly what they needed after the defeat expulsion of the Taliban from Afghanistan - time to retreat, rebuild, and plan. Bush never was interested in capturing bin Laden - he's too important to the (re)election campaign, and Spain has been sacrificed because of it.

After Sept. 11, conventional wisdom compelled us to seek & accept the assistance of foreign governments and intelligence services. Every one of our allies stepped up to the plate & offered that assistance. The first & only conviction for the Sept 11 attacks so far has been in Germany. And that is how it should be - a true war on terror REQUIRES the cooperation of civilized nations.

Bush's "War on Terror" is nothing of the sort. He's merely engaged in the colonial occupation of two countries in which we are unwelcome invaders. The utter lack of planning on the part of Rumsfeld & Wolfowitz, and the administrations' open hostility to the idea of "nation building" before Sept 11 has left the US government & military ill-equipped to occupy or administer the civilian affairs these conquered nations. Any and all cautions or criticisms offered by our erstwhile allies are brushed aside, ridiculed or openly ignored. Bush has single-handedly destroyed the half-century-old transatlantic alliance by his callous treatment of France and Germany. Domestic political opponents have become objects of criminal investigations by John Ashcroft and dissent has been all but outlawed the ill-conceived "Patriot" Act. Thus American influence across the world continues to wane, American soldiers continue to die, and the renowned freedom and liberty that America believes it self to represent is seriously threatened.

If Bush was serious about the “War on Terror” 200 people in Madrid would still be alive today.

[ithacan]

1. Bush's Iraq adventure diverted attention and resources from Al Qaeda hunt

you are absolutely right, baldguy.

It's amazing that Bush thinks he can run as a foreign policy and security genius! His policies are absolute disasters and are making the world a much more dangerous place.

The good thing: Al Qaeda thinks it is HELPING Bush and other right wingers by undertaking terrorist attacks, assuming people will rally sheep-like around right wing leaders.

The Spaniards have shown Al Qaeda to be wrong. The terrorists are losing when the right is booted out of office!

[jpak]

6. Bush botched the siege of Tora Bora and let OBL escape

If they had sent 100,000 troops to Afghanistan and not I-raq, they certainly would have captured or killed both OBL and the Mullah Omar.

Instead both are at large and plotting against the West.

The invasion of I-raq was a complete blunder...and the blow back's a bitch...

[Yupster]

8. 100,000 troops in Afghanistan

lol ---- excuse me.

[MinnFats]

2. well, of course you know...

...
that the ones responsible are the ones who did it.
but i would say bush certainly greased the skids for an operation like this.

it's too bad because spain is being used as a pawn. they are a great nation that endured decades of cruelfacism and only in the past 20 years or so emerged into democracy...

[joeybee12]

3. No argument here...

...there is so much blood on this evil f**k's hands it's not funny.

[BradCKY]

4. edit

edit reread post

[arewethereyet]

5. the jihad started WAY before Bush

if the Spanish government was serious enough about the war on terror thos 200 people would still be alive today.

[Yupster]

7. And lets keep a wee bit of blame

for the terrorists. They aren't completely innocent are they?

[DNA]

10. What utter nonsense!

Unless, of course, you mean that had the Spanish government of Aznar been alert to the fact that cozying up to the Bush administration would lead to nothing but death and defeat.

[maggrwaggr]

9. I blame Anzar for being a toady to Bush

and the Spanish people themselves for not throwing this asshole out of power.

Don't get me wrong, I blame the American people, too, for not throwing Bush out of power.

I can't believe we seem to have every intention of letting him stay president for almost another goddamn YEAR.

[Yupster]

12. Everyone's to blame except for the guys

who planted the bombs.

[maggrwaggr]

13. yeah, like they would have picked spain

if Spain hadn't helped us massacre muslims in Iraq.

Suuuuurrrrrreeeee ......

[Joanne98]

11. It's all his fault. He's an idiot

When we invaded Iraq we lost credibility. We're losing the "hearts and minds war" because the Iraqi's know we are just there to steal their oil. We won't win anything until we clean up the crooks in Washington.

[question everything]

14. What a horrible thing to say

The terrorists are responsible to the bombing in Iraq.

Let's get one thing straight: terrorists are in the business of spreading terror. Their cause is incidental. Whether in Israel, or in London, in Istanbul or in Madrid - they don't have anything better to do, they - mostly men with too much testosterone - prefer this life style over the boring alternative of going to an office or a factory every day and counting the hours. This is more exciting and the "leaders" - who, by the way, get fat bank account in Switzerland or in South America - take advantage of that.

Bush is a sorry excuse for a President, but such claims are not going to remove him from office. Exactly the opposite. Such claims could send the 10% undecided straight into voting for him.

[scottxyz]

15. Yes, he is resonsible for it.

Here's an excellent article analyzing just how badly Bush is failing in his job to protect our cities from Fundamentalist Terror:

http://corrente.blogspot.com/2004_03_14_corrente_archive.html#107928565617903909

"Madrid proves that the theory that wars with states are the way to win the WOT is wrong (even granting that the WOT can be won, which I don't)."

This is a MAJOR theoretical essay. Anyone seriously interested in strategy and tactics to win the "Campaign against Fundamentalism" (otherwise known by its misnomer, the "War on Terror") should read Lambert's article at Corrente at the link above.