Spain has achieved appeasement in our time—or so they hope. Submitting to the violent threats of terrorists, the socialists and their supporters in Spain have sent a message to the rest of the world: Spain will submit to the terrorists. Spain will retreat from Iraq. Spain will surrender in the war against terrorism. Spain is at once Neville Chamberlain's England and Marshal Petain's France. It will suffer the same fate as occupied Europe under Hitler.

This is a dangerous precedent for the rest of the free world. It is clear that al Qaeda will use terrorist attacks to shape the outcomes of elections, including those in the United States. In effect, the voting choices will be reduced to that of either continuing the fight against terrorism, or surrendering, as Spain did.

In 1938 the free world tried appeasing another violent ideology and paid the consequences when war broke out anyway. It will be no different this time around. Instead of being satisfied, al Qaeda will be emboldened to increase their demands, just as Adolf Hitler went from demanding a section of Czechoslovakia to demanding the entire country. The people of Spain should not delude themselves. They have not bought off the terrorists. Instead they have encouraged the terrorists to step up their campaign of violence in order to "reclaim" formerly Islamic territories in the Iberian peninsula.

As Spain is a target, so are the Balkans. We can expect to see campaigns of violence in Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Rumania, Serbia and Albania until those countries submit to Islamic rule. Lest France and Germany think they are immune, the terrorists will strike there until governments that support the terrorists are in place.

It should be no surprise that it is leftist organizations that are calling for appeasement of the terrorists. Even the Communists are getting into the action, helping anti-war and anti-American movements in the United States, including ones associated with Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry. We need not wonder about which side al Qaeda wants to win in the United States in November.

Indeed, we should be prepared for terrorists attacks in the days and weeks leading up to the election, especially if President Bush is leading in the polls. Evidence shows that al Qaeda is conducting extensive operations designed to attack those who stand with the United States in the war against terrorism:

London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi said it had received a claim of responsibility for the Madrid bombings issued by The Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri in Al Qaeda's name.

The claim received by email said the brigade's "death squad" had penetrated "one of the pillars of the crusade alliance, Spain," and carried out what it called Operation Death Trains.

"This is part of settling old accounts with Spain, the crusader, and America's ally in its war against Islam," the claim said.

In the aftermath of September 11th, President Bush declared that the nations of the world needed to decide whether they were with us in the fight against terrorism, or with the terrorists. There is no neutral ground in this fight. You cannot run from this fight; you cannot hide in this war. The terrorists will attack anyone who does not give in to their demands, whether they are actively fighting the terrorists or not.

The people of Spain who voted to surrender have made a poor choice. The person they elected to lead Spain is making a mistake in withdrawing troops from Iraq, effectively abandoning the people of Iraq in their hour of need. The people of Spain may believe that they have achieved appeasement in their time, but they have merely made a deal with the devil, in the vain hope that the devil comes for them last.

The free world tried that 65 years ago. All it did was fuel the appetite of the devil.