The Bush administration and the conservative hawks in this country are showing their true colors by their response to the elections in Spain – not to mention their handling of Haiti. It is obvious they do not support democracy abroad -- or anywhere. They are suggesting that the democratic election that ousted Spanish Prime Minister Aznar -- US partner in the war on Iraq -- is somehow an “appeasement” of Al Queda terrorists. They are intimating that last week’s terrorist bombings in Madrid so scared the Spanish people that they voted against common sense and, in essence, voted for the terrorists. This thinking is not only absurd, it is Orwellian. Polls showed that about 80% of the Spanish people opposed the war in Iraq, so the fact that they voted Aznar’s party out of power should not be seen as a surprise. However, our “leaders” and policy makers are telling the world – and the terrorists – that the bombings were successful. They -- not the Spanish voters -- are convincing the terrorists that their heinous acts CAN alter elections. They are telling the world, once again, that “you are either with us, or you are against us”. And they are telling the American people that to reconsider, to reflect, to change course, to change one’s mind, or to think at all, is dangerous. Trust in Big Brother!

Do not be surprised in the coming months -- as American opposition to Bush’s policies grows -- to hear Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Powell, and the “fair and balanced” media, begin to play on our fears and tell us that an electoral defeat of George Bush in November would be a victory for Osama Bin Laden. Do not be surprised if democracy at home is thwarted once again.