This looks like a good thread, but join it late I don't really have time to read the whole thing. I just wanted to add by two cents worth:
I don't think it really matters one jot whether the Spainish "gave in to terrorist" when the elected the socialists. I personally don't think they did because for a start polls before elections have been known to be dramatically wrong in the past (so no real way of knowing if there really was a swing), turn out was very high (which usually kills the pre-election polls anyway), and most voters seem to be pissed that their government had lied to them and tried to exploit the bombing (although perhaps damage control would be fairer that exploit). But none of this really matters. What matters is do the terrorist think they influenced the election in a way that was favorable to them. If they do think that, regardless of whether they are right or wrong, we will no doubt see more attacks, and that is scary.
