Zapatero plans troop withdrawal

From the Guardian: bq. Spain's incoming socialist government intends to stick by its pledge to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq by June 30, even though some world leaders have asked it to reconsider the decision, the country's prime minister-elect, Jos� Luis Rodr�guez Zapatero, said today. And more: bq. Others may urge Spain to keep its 1,300 peacekeeping troops in Iraq, but "fighting terrorism with bombs ... with Tomahawk missiles, isn't the way to defeat terrorism," he said. "Terrorism is confronted by the state of law ... that's what I think Europe and the international community have to debate." The unfortunate thing is that Zapatero has this dead wrong. The only thing the terrorists respect is power. They view laws as weakness and something to be twisted for one's own gain -- witness the sterling human rights record of most Islamic nations. This will be an excellent example of 'blowback' and only a matter of when, not if...