Not Appeasement

Friedman's editorial says that the Spanish vote will be remembered as an act of appeasement if they pull their troops out of Iraq. I don’t think pulling Spanish troops out of Iraq is appeasement. If anything, it is a good example of democracy in action. The Spanish people didn’t want to be part of this war, and they voted for the socialist party because of its opposition to the war. Had the tragic events of 3/11 not occurred, the Spanish people would probably have voted out the pro-Bush government, and the socialist party would have made good on its campaign promises and pulled troops out of Iraq. Why should the Spanish people change their demands because of a terrorist attack? They have the courage to do what they were planning on doing, despite terrorism.