And this matters... how?
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, blamed for the beheading of foreign captives and the death of hundreds in suicide bombings, has been killed in a raid north of Baghdad, Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday.
Jordanian-born Zarqawi, who had sworn loyalty to Osama bin Laden, had come to symbolize the radical Islamic insurgency against U.S. occupation in which thousands had been killed. His campaign is also believed to have played a major role in inflaming Sunni-Shi'ite tensions in the country.
Did Al Qaeda surrender in the face of this? We can start bringing the troops home then!
U.S. officials in Iraq hailed his killing, but warned that Zarqawi's followers still posed a security threat to the Iraq government.
Well shucks, I guess we can't leave- because for every Zarqawi, there will be a hundred more to take his place. Only the names will change. A few months down the road, we will identify the new leader and create the next boogeyman. But for now the Bush people will crow and puff their chests out and pat themselves on the back as people continue to die by the dozens.
There is no conceivable end to this war, and that's just the way the Bush people want it.