(International Herald Tribune) Top Bush administration officials said Sunday that they felt confident the devastating bomb attacks in Madrid would not shake European determination to continue fighting terrorism, and that those who favor backing away from the U.S.-led war on terror would do so at the risk of becoming future targets of terrorists. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld rejected the idea that a pullback by Spain or others would make them safer: "It's kind of like feeding an alligator, hoping it eats you last." Secretary of State Colin Powell said: "There is a war on terror that must be fought. Nobody's immune. Rather than finding fault with what Spain has done, by being aggressive in the war on terror, this should redouble everyone's efforts." National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said, "Slowly but surely their world is getting smaller, not larger. They don't have Afghanistan as a base of operations. They will not have Iraq as a base of operations." She also listed Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Sudan as places they will not be able to use. Terrorists will "win skirmishes," she said, but over all, "the terrorists are losing."
2004-03-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive