Good Riddance, Zarqawi

I wish someone other than the U.S. military had killed Zarqawi, but I'm glad he's gone nonetheless. He was a ruthless killer, although it should be pointed out that he did not start his atrocities in Iraq until the U.S. government invaded and occupied the country. Before that, Zarqawi was in northern Iraq, in the Kurdish area not under Saddam Hussein's control. Remember that when the people on Fox News tell you that Saddam had ties to al Qaeda.

I agree with whoever said that Zarqawi's death is a great face-saving reason for George II to withdraw from Iraq now. I'll take any reason, and this is good enough. We shouldn't expect to see a big change in the resistance to the U.S. occupation. Even the Bush administration concedes that foreigners make up a tiny fraction of the resistance. (Zarqawi was a Jordanian.) While the local al Qaeda pulled off some spectacular atrocities, including beheadings, its violent activities were never the main event. Moreover, there are credible reports that Osama bin Laden didn't like competition from Zarqawi, or his attacks on other Muslims. As someone pointed out, bin Laden lost a rival and gained a martyr -- not a bad day's work without lifting a finger. The resistance will go on.

For more on Zarqawi's death in perspective, see David Corn's analysis here in The Nation.