At 6:15 Baghdad time, two 500-pound American-made bombs killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi while he was located in an area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the province of Diyala, late Wednesday. Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki said “Al-Zarqawi was eliminated.”
OBL named al-Zarqawi the “Prince of Terrorism.” AZ was the number one terrorist in Iraq.
Why did the state of Jordan help? Remember the wedding party blown to bits in the country last year?
Already the negative comments and the spin has started.
Nicholas Berg’s father Michael has already said that al-Zarqawi didn’t deserve to die, in a CNN interview. This from the father of the man that al-Zarqawi killed in front of a video camera — the same video that al Qaeda paraded in front of the world on the internet.
Asked what would give him satisfaction, Berg, an anti-war activist and candidate for U.S. Congress, said, “The end of the war and getting rid of George Bush.”
Another massive clue? When the announcement occurred in front of the press, Iraqi journalists cheered. American journalists were completely silent.
President Bush has stayed the course in his “War On Terror.” His war on terror is in truth a war only on Islamists or radical Islam — but in any event, by staying this course the number two AQ terrorist has gone to meet his maker. One more snake on the AQ head has been eliminated. This is a victory for President Bush and for his WOT.
Very few people, despite their prior cries, will find this a positive thing; witness the ridiculously-Moonbat statement from Michael Berg.
And those on the Left whose mantra was “If you’re so good, where is OBL? Where are his henchmen? You can’t even get those guys!” will likely now be saying: “Doesn’t matter anyway. So you got him. Big deal.”
President Bush: damned if he didn’t, damned if he did.
REALITY CHECK
What will be the impact? It will likely be split directly down the aisle. Who will be the first Democrat to congratulate the president and SecDef Rumsfeld? Don’t hold your breath.
And the reality check is this: though I believe this is another turning point in Bush’s war, it’s not, of course, and End-All and Be-All to this war, which will continue. IEDs will still explode. Homicide bombers will still detonate.
But one more very important nail has been driven directly into the forehead of al Qaeda and its ring of supporters.
And that’s a good thing.
President Bush: we do need to stay the course.
______________________
Two additional pieces of good news today:
First, the price of oil has dropped on the news of AZ’s death. “Oil prices dipped below $70 per barrel for the first time in two weeks Thursday following the announcement of the death of al-Qaida’s leader in Iraq, terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.”
Second, the USS Cole, disabled from a terrorist’s boat-bomb on October 12th in 2000 which killed 17 sailors while docked in Yemen’s port of Aden, is back on assignment today and headed to the Middle East’s Fifth Fleet, responsible for the Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and some of the Indian Ocean. Bravo and Godspeed, USS Cole!
God bless America!
BZ
My feelings are a bit simpler.
Staying the course is about all President Bush can do as he is unable to formulate a real set of goals or strategy for the GWOT. So Iraq is a bit safer and things for al Qaeda a bit gloomier. We are not involved in the hard part of this struggle yet. Act I is coming to an end and soon Act II will be on the forefront… Staying the course is the *minimum* and long-term success requires much, much more than that. And no one in politics wants to tell as that, and so we are ill-served by those that swear to serve We the People.
Ending Zarqawi is good and necessary. The larger fight continues and we are only involved in a small part of it, while those against us seek other fronts and means continuously. And the Shadow Warriors can only do so much…
AJ: You are SO correct. We are NOT yet involved in the difficult part. But try convincing the soft American people of this — until they experience a mushroom cloud looming over a major American city.
I have, unfortunately, little faith in the memory-challeneged American public and its pols.
BZ
Agreed, But why do you use the term “Bush’s war” although he is in charge during the time when The POTUS finally decided to do something other than taking it. I don’t agree with it being his war. It’s all of our war. Iraq maybe his war, But the WOT is all of ours.
Great post BTW, And I’m researching the left leaning spin today.
Thanks Bushwack! I termed it that way because he is Large and In Charge — his admin, his plan, his sight and direction.
Oddly enough, I’m listening to Michael Medved interview Michael Berg, the father of Nick Berg, and he just said he believes there are evil acts, but no evil people.
How sad that there are such ridiculously naive persons extant.
BZ
I have to rush here, but I wonder why the libs who say ALQueada wouldn’t be in Iraq if it weren’t for Bush. There would be no need for insurgency.. O.K.. my question is: “Then where do you think they would be??” Would they just go away somewhere and have tea, and say ‘mission accomplished?”.. Or, does the insurgency have something to do with 9/11 and their desire to innihalate Christians and Jews?.. It is not about the sunni’s and shiites’.
Al zaqarwe would have been killing elsewhere.. Maybe America, Euorope or another country? Who knows? And if we didn’t go into Iraq and get Sadaam, he would have been involved in the war AGAINST us. Trust me.. Even McCain said Sadaam ‘would have’ gotten WMD’s eventually, and we would have to go in there.. (Of course he DID have them, just moved them..)..
ANyway,
That is my 2 cents..
Great post!!!!! I’m rejoicing over Zarqawi’s death and I think Michael Berg is mentally ill. Bush should’ve gotten a lot more credit for this since he gets all the criticism for all that goes wrong.
Rebecca & LMC: I am not a One Man Band Bush supporter as everyone knows; I am a conservative first and a Republican second. That said, I also must admit that Bush knows his mind and doesn’t much care who loves him or doesn’t. And when he does something correct, either personally or on his watch, he DESERVES the credit. And killing al-Zarqawi was CORRECT.
There is an Iraqi named Basil who calls a local morning talk radio program from time to time. And if there’s clearly one thing I’ve gleaned from listening to him it’s this: the Middle East, Islam and America have altogether completely different mindsets and philosphies. Americans still do not understand the Islamists’ fundamental “kill me or I’ll kill you” philosophy. It is real. It exists. People with this kind of philosophy exist. If they can kill you with a rock, they will. If they have to get close enough to you to bite through your neck and tear out your carotid with their teeth, they will.
And if they acquire CBN weapons they WILL use them against us and US. Period.
In the total context of our national naivete, sometimes I wake up wondering how we’ve, as a country, survived this long.
BZ
Mr. Z – You are completely correct on the majority of the People in this Nation not understanding the nomadic and tribalistic outlook that is ingrained in the Middle East. But those folks are also finding a stark contrast to OUR outlook and philosophy.
“Inshallah” – If god wills it. Usually heard when someone in the Middle East with an AK-47 stands up to fire wildly.
“God helps those who help themselves” – US Marksmanship. Why yes, god could intervene, but he is a busy guy and best take care of the things that we can and live the big picture to him.
“Kill me or I will kill you.” – Middle Eastern personal philosopy.
“Attack me unprovoked and I will destroy all you hold dear until you give up or are dead.” – The Jacksonian philosophy.
Strangely enough the Middle Eastern just gets you lots of dead people. The Jacksonian gets you a crispy landscape or a realization that taking minor offense up one notch leads to asymmetrical results.
Iraqi’s are getting a hard, long taste of the Western concepts. The reason their military and police are becoming so effective is that they are now placing faith in their *abilities* and leaving as little to god as possible. The problem with the Middle Eastern tribal outlook is that it expects there to be no settlement and no finality and expects that even friendly trade can go on amidst long standing feuds. Westerners want an *end* to it and will hunt you down to the bitter end to do so.
At least we did before the Left got this weird notion that we could ‘be friends with everyone’. That just leads to peace… that of the grave.
AJ: “”Kill me or I will kill you.” – Middle Eastern personal philosopy.”
Gosh.
That is SO correct in its fundamental basis.
How much more simply can we distill this crisis?
BZ