Are the Spanish Prime Minister's odious policies finally catching up to him? Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is watching his once—firm base of voter support eroding away in the polls, based on, of all things, "terrorism fears." Research by Instituto Opina shows that the bug—eyed premier, who won his job as a result of Spain's voter capitulation to terrorists after four train bombings in Madrid last March, is losing  roughly three percentage points of voter support every month. It's a drip, drip, drip slide lower for him on approval itself — and a sharp rise in voter disapproval ratings, too. In May, 16.4% of voters disapproved of him. In September, 26.6% can't stand him
 
What's most surprising are the reasons cited: fears of terrorism  and growing opposition to Zapatero's proposed Islamic alliance, which increasingly looks like an effort to align the most notorious Islamofascist states with the worst of Old Europe. Zapatero's scheme "devalues Spain's influence in foreign policy decisions," according to one opposition leader.
 
A look at some of Spain's newspapers would suggest similar sentiment, and more:
 
The Spanish press heaps on the criticism of Zapatero's recent push for gay marriage and adoption,  his court packing,  his defunding of the Catholic Church,  as well as new financing for Islamic mosques. As long as Zapatero is on a slide, these new factors will erode more of his support, maybe enough to make him a footnote before the first anniversary of the bombings. Do the Spaniards, of all people, really want gay marriage?  

A.M. Mora y Leon    9 30 04