[doctorzlo]

But in the end it's really not their '3-11' anymore than if those trains had simply slipped off the rails and crashed into pedestrians, killing 200. It's not the victimhood, though some could argue that 9-11 has in the US become a cross between an orgiastic death cult and a Hallmark card. It's the response it engendered. It caused American foreign policy and domestic actions, for better or worse to rapidly switch direction. It created a new forum for discussing whether the US should be isolationist or not. And it launched a few mini-wars.

I suspect that Spain, having tossed out the old administration will feel its job is done. Oh we may now see Spain host some antiglobalization conferences and attempt to extend its political agenda into places like Argentina, but I can't seem them either reaching out to 'understand and empathsize the Islamists who want to control their society nor do I see them getting into a schoolyard tussle with the French and the Germans who quite nearly support those very same terrorists anyway. I just don't see people like Chris Patten and Terje Larsen and Chriac risking their retirements on something as petty as this.

Let's face it, the EU is scurrying around with emergency sessions to address terrorism this week but they aren't really going to take any concrete steps that would address it from a law enforcement and intelligence perspective at home and they certainly aren't planning on doing something over there. Perhaps they will hand out some jobs programs to poor muslims in Europe and create some new humanitarian missions overseas. Perhaps they will make noises about cooperating with the Islamic bloc in the UN. Otherwise, we should be prepared to quietly forget this ever happened.