You are certainly correct, but that isn't where the damage was done. When Spain capitulated to terrorist demands, they sent exactly the wrong message, not just to al Qaeda, but to terrorist groups everywhere. 1,300 soldiers won't amount to a hill of beans in Iraq, you're right, but how many more innocent people will be blown to bits by terrorist groups who have been encouraged by al Quaeda's success in Spain?
"You know, that's a bit unfair with Spain. I really think the War on terror will be won by police and counter-intel guys, mainly operating at home against the sleeper cells and in tight cooperation with their allied counterparts to prevent further infiltration."
That's true. Part of the problem understanding the WOT is the incessant description of our Iraqi involvement as part of it, when really it started long before and has a different history.
What's unfair is Spain's lefties interpreting the Islamist's actions to fit their own prejudices about the US and Iraq. For example, each of these communiques specify Spain's involvement with Afghanistan too. The Islamists make no distinction, but the Spaniards ignore it. A blindness and unwillingness to listen, kind of like what "Anonymous" calls "Imperial Hubris"
This is not a war on terrorism; it's a war that Islam has declared upon the West/ America. Terrorism is merely their tool to accomplish the Islamic Caliphate.
'Our Enemy Is Not Terrorism'...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1163815/posts