Spain-Bullshit Remark
3-19-2004
^Spaniards see red upon hearing top U.S. defense official's comments on bullfighting and Iraq<
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
MADRID, Spain (AP) _ From a fire station to a Madrid bar brimming with bullfighting paraphernalia, Spaniards said Friday they were offended by a senior Pentagon official's remark that bullfighting shows they are a brave people and they shouldn't run in the face of terrorism.
They saw the comment by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as narrow-minded and promoting a stereotype.
"This is an ignorant comment," snapped Madrid firefighter Juan Carlos Yunquera, sitting on a bench outside his firehouse. "For a top official, it shows he doesn't know what he's talking about."
Yunquera, who heard the American official's remarks on the radio, pointed out that Spaniards overwhelmingly opposed the war in Iraq, even as Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar joined President Bush's "coalition of the willing" a year ago and later contributed troops for the occupation.
Islamic extremists have reputedly claimed responsibility for last week's Madrid rail bombings, which killed 202 people, as punishment for Aznar's stance on Iraq.
Prime Minister-designate Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero _ whose party won general elections Sunday _ has insisted he would withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge. It was a campaign pledge he made long before the bombings, Spain's worst terror attack.
In an interview on PBS television Thursday, Wolfowitz said Zapatero's withdrawal plan didn't seem very Spanish.
"The Spaniards are courageous people. I mean, we know it from their whole culture of bullfighting," Wolfowitz said. "I don't think they run in the face of an enemy. They haven't run in the face of the Basque terrorists. I hope they don't run in the face of these people."
Carlota Duce, a waitress at the Retinto Bar, where a bullfighting sword, lance and hat hung on a wall above patrons sipping beer and eating tapas, said she had no use for such comments.
"It's drivel," she said above the strumming of flamenco guitar on the stereo. "There is absolutely no comparison between bullfighting and Spain pulling out of Iraq."
Bartender Oliver Iglesias found a kernel of truth in Wolfowitz's words.
"We are indeed very brave," he said. "But no one here likes the war in Iraq. And there's a big difference between killing a bull and killing a person."
Gustavo de Aristegui, a legislator and spokesman in parliament for Aznar's Popular Party, also criticized Wolfowitz, saying: "A top-ranking politician should be more careful about the remarks he makes, and that's all I'm going to say about Mr. Wolfowitz."
Yunquera, the firefighter, said he was annoyed that Wolfowitz even mentioned bullfighting.
"I've never liked bullfighting," he said. "If I was to describe Spain, I would say Spain is a tolerant and joyful country and not even mention bullfighting."
^Spaniards see red upon hearing top U.S. defense official's comments on bullfighting and Iraq<
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
MADRID, Spain (AP) _ From a fire station to a Madrid bar brimming with bullfighting paraphernalia, Spaniards said Friday they were offended by a senior Pentagon official's remark that bullfighting shows they are a brave people and they shouldn't run in the face of terrorism.
They saw the comment by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz as narrow-minded and promoting a stereotype.
"This is an ignorant comment," snapped Madrid firefighter Juan Carlos Yunquera, sitting on a bench outside his firehouse. "For a top official, it shows he doesn't know what he's talking about."
Yunquera, who heard the American official's remarks on the radio, pointed out that Spaniards overwhelmingly opposed the war in Iraq, even as Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar joined President Bush's "coalition of the willing" a year ago and later contributed troops for the occupation.
Islamic extremists have reputedly claimed responsibility for last week's Madrid rail bombings, which killed 202 people, as punishment for Aznar's stance on Iraq.
Prime Minister-designate Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero _ whose party won general elections Sunday _ has insisted he would withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq unless the United Nations takes charge. It was a campaign pledge he made long before the bombings, Spain's worst terror attack.
In an interview on PBS television Thursday, Wolfowitz said Zapatero's withdrawal plan didn't seem very Spanish.
"The Spaniards are courageous people. I mean, we know it from their whole culture of bullfighting," Wolfowitz said. "I don't think they run in the face of an enemy. They haven't run in the face of the Basque terrorists. I hope they don't run in the face of these people."
Carlota Duce, a waitress at the Retinto Bar, where a bullfighting sword, lance and hat hung on a wall above patrons sipping beer and eating tapas, said she had no use for such comments.
"It's drivel," she said above the strumming of flamenco guitar on the stereo. "There is absolutely no comparison between bullfighting and Spain pulling out of Iraq."
Bartender Oliver Iglesias found a kernel of truth in Wolfowitz's words.
"We are indeed very brave," he said. "But no one here likes the war in Iraq. And there's a big difference between killing a bull and killing a person."
Gustavo de Aristegui, a legislator and spokesman in parliament for Aznar's Popular Party, also criticized Wolfowitz, saying: "A top-ranking politician should be more careful about the remarks he makes, and that's all I'm going to say about Mr. Wolfowitz."
Yunquera, the firefighter, said he was annoyed that Wolfowitz even mentioned bullfighting.
"I've never liked bullfighting," he said. "If I was to describe Spain, I would say Spain is a tolerant and joyful country and not even mention bullfighting."
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