| In addition to being a hellish human tragedy, today's massive terrorist bombing in Madrid was also a grim reminder of how the political landscape can be transformed in an instant -- drowning even the most modest progressive hopes in a river of blood.
As it happens, the attack comes just 72 hours before Spain is to go to the polls to choose its next parliament. Until today, the left-wing Socialist opposition had appeared to have at least a chance of denying the right-wing Popular Party (heirs to the old Francoist establishment) an outright majority in the Cortes. |
And many of us are wondering what will happen here just before we go to the polls.
| If all this reminds you of the electoral dynamics of terrorism in another large industrialized democracy, it probably should. Dick Morris has already described the key elements of the politics of permanent war -- and how they might be applied in the United States. Now they're going to be field tested in Spain.
The paranoid will no doubt leap -- if they haven't already -- to the Reichstag fire analogy (even though to this day it's not clear whether the fire, and the judicial coup that followed, were a deliberate provocation or just a brilliant piece of political improvisation on Hitler's part.) Let's face it: One of the creepiest things about the post-9/11 environment is the way it's made a whole raft of conspiracy theories harder to dismiss out of hand. But if you really think the Popular Party staged the Madrid bombing for its own political benefit -- and that the Bush crew is planning something similar here -- then you might as well head for the hills now. There is no hope. The rest of us, though, are just going to have keep plugging away, in hopes that here in America the terrorists can be thwarted between now and November, and that a viable progressive approach to anti-terrorist policy can be found -- one that avoids authoritarian (and ineffectual) police-state tactics, but also prevents the kind of bloody mayhem we saw today. |
Billmon is an extraordinary blogger. I don't always agree with everything he says, but I always read it.
In this case, I think Billmon is in denial. How anyone can follow what this gang of criminals in the White House does, and not think them capable of something like that, is hanging very tightly onto their self-delusional need to believe in the basic goodness of their own country. Understandable. But, to believe the Bush camp capable of something fiendish is far from a sign of paranoia. Under Billmon's criterion, I think that you might as well head for the hills. But, personally, I think there's always the chance that they can't pull off another coup, now that people are paying attention.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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