It's great news for Iraq but not for the U.S. Americans are not politically complex. We're really very simple. You're either with us or you're against us. Muslim politics is a different animal entirely. Zarqawi kept it simple for us. We knew who the enemy was and it never changed. MAde things easy to predict. With Zarqawi gone, Iraqis can now engage in the Muslim politics Zaraqwi intimidated them from practicing (it was confusing and therefore threatening to him also). It's a very difficult, fickle system that I KNOW the U.S. simply does not know how to play.

It would also be extremely naive to assume this was a huge blow to al-Qaeda. I'll guarantee you their leaders are pumping their fists and cheering. They never liked Zarqawi, never really wanted him. They didn't care for his heavy-handed, indiscriminate, extreme violence. They wanted someone to drive out the U.S. than to turn Iraqis against one another. I'm very afraid the next guy to take his place is going to be this charismatic folk-hero-type who will unite Shiite and Sunni against us. All the Iraqis are looking for is a good leader not in the pocket of Americans. All al-qaeda has to do is give them someone like that. With Zarqawi out of the way, they just might pull it off and it will be all over for us if they manage it. And I see no reason they couldn't manage it.

It's a very bad situation when you're claiming to help a nation whose interests are not yours and whose benefit is to your detriment. That's a doomed venture. And this is a doomed venture. Just as with Saddam, we're going to be sorry he's gone.