Spain Walks Back from the Edge

Bill O'Reilly was threatening to lead another boycott a la the one he lead of France while Jacque Chirac was its leader. Some far left zealots were on the verge of creating an international incident with reverberations everywhere. Charges were brought in a Spanish court to prosecute up to six former Bush officials for war crimes for their sanction of various interrogation techniques like waterboarding, GITMO, and the terrorist surveillance program. One of those bringing charges was an individual named Gonzalo Boye, who himself was once put in prison for assisting a Spanish terrorist group by the name of MIR.

Such a spectacle would have lead to an international disaster. First, it would have put the U.S. on trial and presented the image that in the GWOT it is the U.S. that is the villain. Second, relations between Spain and the U.S. would have been irreperably harmed. That the Spanish government would cede to such a radical as Boye would have been a slap in the face to our nation.

It appears that Spain's Attorney General, Candido Conde-Pumpido, has finally added some reason to the debacle. (H/T to Hot Air)

Spain's attorney general has rejected opening an investigation into whether six Bush administration officials sanctioned torture against terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, saying Thursday a U.S. courtroom would be the proper forum.

Candido Conde-Pumpido's remarks severely dampen the chance of a case moving forward against the Americans, including former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Conde-Pumpido said such a trial would have turned Spain's National Court "into a plaything" to be used for political ends.

We can only hope that this nonsense is now over.