Thread: Could someone please translate this sentence

I can but try:

The anti-tobacco crusade of Zapatero and his Minister of Health, Jiménez, is taking on such a hue of demagoguery that, before quarreling with them and all that would involve*, I tried admitting they were right to see what transpired**.

*Literally "to all the effects". It's used in legal documents for inclusion. I'm guessing here. Where's a native speaker when you need one?

** or, possibly, Let’s see what happened – depending on the subsequent context.