Surveying the Damage

Here's a quick guide to media and pundit reaction to the death of al Qaeda leader Zarqawi.

Will his death have any effect on the insurgency:

<------------------------------------------------------------------------------->
Nothing - - - - - - - - - - - - - Some effect - - - - - - - - - - Category killer

The anti-war left is of two minds on the matter. They either think it has no effect, or that it was such a success that we have to leave Iraq immediately. Most of the rest of America thinks that it will have some effect, but not sure exactly how much. I think it certainly have some effect, and wish that it will effectively end the insurgency, but know that it might have no effect as well. In all probability it will hasten the demise of the insurgency, and improve the security in Iraq as additional operations are launched based on intel gathered in Wednesday's raids on Zarqawi's location and 17 other sites.

The media? Well, they're all over the map on the issue - and the so-called experts are all over the map as well.

I know this for sure. Zarqawi's death means that Zarqawi himself wont be able to personally behead any more kidnap victims, exhort other jihadists to murder, or make any more videos proclaiming the honor and glory of committing mass murder.

That counts for quite a bit.

Alaa at the Messopotamian sums up the reaction for most folks: Hell welcomes its latest illustrious inmate.

I was shocked at my own feelings of pleasure on beholding the photo of the dead face of Zarqawi. I would never have thought that possible. I have never felt this way my whole life. Yet the atrocities and outrages that these pseudo humans, these misanthropes, have perpetrated have engendered such anger, such sorrow, such rage that not even the most peaceful of souls can control their hatred of these criminals. My only regret was that the death was fast and sudden, and I felt pain that the true martyr of our country our beloved Ussama Al-Jadaan could not witness this day which he had predicted and played a big role in bringing about.

Well, I am not going to dwell on the reaction of people like Al Jazeera (again) who showed their true color today without even any attempt at dissimulation. So this arch murderer of day laborers, bakers, school children and etc. etc., this master be-header of poor hostages and planner of car bombings and all kinds of the most outrageous orgies of mass killings; this man is to be mourned and regretted as a martyr and mujahid etc. etc.!!! Yes, friends, believe it or not these sentiments were expressed openly and repeated hysterically on mass media like the notorious one referred to above. I still cannot understand why when whole countries and regimes are labeled as rogue states and suffer sanctions and the like when, here we have an official state owned media outlet that has played a major role in inciting and aiding and abetting the most violent forms of terrorism; and nothing has been done against them and those who sponsor and finance them. Indeed the state that harbors this state of affairs enjoys the blessings and the best of relations with the west and the free world.

But it is not that which I want most to say today. I want to congratulate the valiant eagles of the American Air force and all the men of the U.S. Army, the Iraqi security forces and all those involved in executing this just punishment and for being the instrument of providential justice.