Tory Calls Spanish Premier Cowardly

Conservative Party leader Michael Howard had harsh words for incoming Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero today:

"Countries cannot insulate themselves from terrorist attack by opting out of the war on terror," he said. "We cannot buy ourselves immunity by changing our foreign policy. Apart from the moral cowardice of that position, it can never work in practice."

And Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said that September 11 could have been avoided if the international community hadn't "turned the other cheek" for so long. The Daily Telegraph adds that: "His remarks contain implicit criticism of the former American administration led by President Bill Clinton, whose country was the main target for al-Qa'eda, and suggests that the war on terror should have been launched in the mid-Nineties."

It's reassuring to hear both major parties in the UK reaffirm their commitment to waging war on terrorists rather than allowing a chain reaction to develop after Sunday's elections in Spain. Their resoluteness should fortify other leaders and help isolate, and hopefully moderate, Zapatero.