Can bin Laden Save Bush?
By Marc Ash
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Friday 28 May 2004
If you ever doubted the potential for violent actions to affect political change, the events in Madrid on the morning of March 11th 2004 erased all doubt. Early on that Thursday morning, sympathizers of Osama bin Laden seized a wide-open opportunity to alter the course of a modern western democracy through carnage.
Four packed commuter trains were torn apart by powerful explosives designed to kill in large numbers -- they did. In all, 191 people on their way to work died and some 1500 were wounded. The timing, just four days prior to Spain's national elections, was clearly an effort to affect those elections. The ruling People's Party, led by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, was unexpectedly swept from power by the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. But the life and death question is, why?
Why Spain turned on Aznar
You may attempt to make the argument that Spain rewarded Osama bin Laden by rejecting Aznar, but I do not recommend you attempt to make it on the streets of Madrid. If you did, you would quickly be confronted by the truth. Aznar sealed his own fate by lying to the Spanish people.
Aznar lied on two major counts. First; In committing the Spanish to a war they did not want, taking the position that it was needed to fight terrorism. That is a lie. The minions of bin Laden will never be defeated by armies marching. They can only be defeated meticulous police work and by social and economic conditions that do not drive supporters to them. Second; In the aftermath of the bombings, Aznar attempted gain political advantage by blaming the Basque separatist group ETA. That was an insult to Spain.
The resulting verdict rendered at the polls was not an acceptance of bin Laden's madness, but rather a condemnation of Aznar's betrayal of Spain.
The other side of the Atlantic
On the 10th day of September 2001, George W. Bush's poll numbers were better than they are today, but not much. The Rehnquist-ordained presidency was having difficulty impressing anyone but the Republican faithful. That was about to change; as the towers fell, George W. Bush's fortunes rose. Overnight his approval ratings doubled, and that was just the start. Over the past two and a half years since the attacks, Bush has used the fear generated by September 11th to effect a broad social and economic agenda that had little or nothing to do with national security.
Attacks this summer
Wednesday's press briefing by John Ashcroft was a puzzlement. The presentation appeared more geared towards public relations than public safety. One had to wonder if Ashcroft was trying to stop terror, or cause it. Where was the information here? What purpose did this serve? For the record Mr. Ashcroft, if you have any real information about attacks on Americans, we would love to hear about them -- you know John, like the information that caused you stop flying commercial aircraft in the weeks prior to the attacks of September 11th? How do we qualify for those kind of warnings?
Ashcroft did take the opportunity to suggest that Madrid might set the stage for similar attacks in the U.S. prior to our November elections, saying, "Al-Qaida may perceive that a large-scale attack in the United States this summer or fall would lead to similar consequences." Al-Qaida may perceive that, but only if they can't read. The last Al-Qaida operation on U.S. soil did little to empower the opposition. On the contrary, it put the opposition on the endangered species list.
The Baghdad trap
If you believe that bin Laden would like to sweep Bush from power, then you would have to wonder if an act of violence on U.S. soil would produce that. However if you are concerned that Baghdad is bin Laden's trap for Bush, then you might wonder if another attack on U.S. soil might better serve bin Laden's interest. It would, in greater likelihood, keep Bush in power and the U.S. Army in Baghdad. If that, in fact, is what bin Laden wants, then this could be a very dangerous summer indeed.
More at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/052804A.shtml
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