Cowardice or Fear?

Many bloggers are accusing Spaniards of cowardice because they rejected the Aznar government in the aftermath of the Madrid bombings. I think "fear" is the better word in the circumstances. Spaniards voted as they did because they feared that Spain's continuing involvement in Iraq would lead to more terrorist attacks. That they acted out of fear make their action no less palatable.

Civilized nations must act with resolve in the face of terror, even if the cost of resolve is sometimes high. In the end, the cost of submission to terror will be far greater than the cost of combating it.