We have finally found something more terrifying than terrorism: appeasement. Spain's Socialist Party has won the national elections when, before March 11th, the conservative party of prime minister Jose Maria Aznar was poised to win. However, al Queda left its calling card and moved the elections left. Will this be a bellwether for the United States in November?

I congratulate the Socialists for winning because I believe in democracy and the Spanish people have spoken. So be it. I also greatly fear for all democracies that one of its chief deficiencies has come to the fore and given much encouragement to our enemies: democracies are slow to defend themselves and the pampered comforts of the materially privileged, who do not wish to think of war at the very moment they should defend their homeland and values, are a block to one's sense of reality, exerting a moral stupor that has one believe the horrible taking of lives should not disturb the quiet, peace, and, in our age, entertainment that we feel entitled to.

Here is the tally as of this writing:

The Socialist Party declared victory with 79 percent of the votes counted, as results showed it winning 164 seats in the 350-member parliament and the ruling Popular Party taking 147. The latter had 183 seats in the outgoing legislature.

With a mandate like this, Spain will pull out of Iraq.

Emotions were high during election day. Mariano Rajoy, the anointed successor of Aznar, was heckled by anti-war protesters as he went to vote:

A handful of young protesters screamed "murderer" at Mariano Rajoy, the ruling party candidate for prime minister, as he cast his vote in an elementary school outside Madrid. "We did not want to go to war!" they shouted.

In the moral universe of the Left, Aznar and Bush are murderers for bringing freedom to Iraq. However much one wants to dismiss cynically why we went to war, liberation was a true and bona fide result for the Iraqi people. Yet, for the Left, terrorists who kill innocents have every right to avenge themselves because the United States and Spain have done something to the benefit of a persecuted people.

No doubt Aznar's refusal to admit the attacks were likely the work of al Queda by insisting it was the ETA, did not help him win hearts and minds. For the Islamists to be behind the attacks would weaken his party before the election, but Aznar made matters worse by withholding the truth from his people. Note to Mr. Bush, please come clean and admit your intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was bad.

More ominously, another terrorist attack on our shores could push the United States to withdraw from Iraq as well. With its victory in "infidel" Spain, the Islamists will redouble their efforts to effect the elections of the "Great Satan" itself this fall.

Kerry and his supporters will be ebullient. This will give fuel to the anti-war movement here at home. The Islamists have provoked a stunning victory for themselves.

Al Queda, like the Devil, grins from ear to ear.