You're being TOO pessimistic! This is a GREAT day and will be viewed in the future as the Turning Point in the war on terror. We cannot see the big picture that God has, but we are headed in the right direction. President Bush may be hated today just as Truman was hated when he was president, but history will look back on George W. as one of the greatest presidents just as Truman is today. Thank God Kerry didn't win in 04. He had no resolve to do anything right, no matter the cost.

The key, you see, is in paragraph three.

As long as the US and its few allies occupy Iraq, we forge a bond between otherwise disparate groups whose one common idea is resistance to the oppressor - us.

I believe the violence will increase, not decrease, as leaders from the Ba'athist, Arab nationalist and numerous clan groups unite to demonstrate their hatred of the foreign occupation, meanwhile engaging in internecine struggle to fill the power vacuum created by al-Zarqawi's assasination.

The US leadership deludes itself and the populace by insisting that the elimination of any one person will be a solution to the ancient filigree of violence in the Middle East. We believe our own fairy tales - kill the dragon, win the fair maiden, live happily ever after. Cultures older than our upstart two-hundred-year-old nation understand: it's not that simple.

I have the following suggestion for the problems in Iraq.
Just like Canada, Australia, UK are independent countries, a figure head (the Queen) is the head of the country represented by governor generals. Most flags under the Queen around the world have the Union Jack as part of their flags. The Iraqian government could be separated by three governments (sunni, shites, kurds) with the prime minister as the fiqure head. Their flags could contain the iraq flag as part of their flag design.
Just like separated countries, borders would be set up with check points.Nice looking walls (ones that do not just look like prison walls) could be built at smart areas. This way the insurgence would not have free roam of the country. They would have to pass certain check points to get from rural areas to crowded market areas. Or walls could be built on the outside of bus routes, etc.
Oil revenues would be subdivided based upon population.
This is only a suggestion since I have never been to Iraq. Can someone let me know if this is even possible.
Sincerely, Dave in Des Moines

I have a concern/question... I feel that we may be percieving his death a little closed minded. Terror groups are extremists, taking everything over and beyond the line. His group could take his death too hard, and take their actions to a whole new level. Imagine that the person you idlize the most was killed by people you oppose, people you are at war with... would you not want to seek revenge? Not that I want to cast more fear into this situation, but we need to keep our eyes open, ears sharp, and pray for all the innocent people stuck in the middle.

Anyone that thinks killing one or even several notorious and famous sociopaths will change things for the better, either in Iraq or the wider world, doesn't understand human nature and what's really happening in the collective psyches of "us" and "them" groups invested in this round of violence. Some people just like violence and hatred, and will find any excuse to do what they are wired to do anyway. It doesn't help that the US has no clue about a "policy" toward Iraq other than to give the military a workout and transfer a whole lot of wealth to a few connected contractors and incipient warlords, behind a smokescreen of "regime change" and "democratization." Businesses in industrialized nations churn out weapons to sell or even give away to groups that can't manage their relations to other tribes other than via attempted or successful genocide.The US trains and equips people like bin Laden and Jonas Savimbi and their followers without regard to obvious future consequences for poeple who just want to be left alone and make a decent living in some kind of harmony with their neighbors. Crowing over Zarqawi's corpse just ensures that more "infidels" will get beheaded and blown up. But hey, this is obviously the best our really smart policy-setters can do, right?

I think this was a big step for the war on terror and for Prime Minister Malika. Everyone here in the USA should be glad we have President Bush. Thank God the Clintons aren't in office.

I have great concern with the Bush Administration, the Bush SPINMASTERS, and the media making this such a "monumental day" in the fight against terrorism. One terrorist (even if it is al-Zarqawi) does not a campaign make or break!!

The primary causes for the extremests existence and their goals are still in place and continue to be a major threat to the remainder of the planet. Rather than celebrate the death of one person; it would be far better for the Bush Administration and their Spinmasters to begin to concentrate on the people DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THESE EXTREMISTS. Many of the policies advocated by the Bush Administration and many of the "War of Words" promulagated by them and their Spindoctors have contributed directly to an extremely tense atmosphere throughout the world. Telling the world "Come and get us" is not the approach to take for any administration.

This attitude serves no one.

Contrary to the media pundits' fake expertise, this terrorism is not caused by resentment of US occupation. Also, it is not something that is biding its time waiting for a reason to attack. The terrorists are already fighting as hard as they can, only wanting our media to respond correctly (i.e., make a big deal out of each attack). When we kill key people, those people are no longer available to attack us. There are no legitimate claims being made by the terrorists; they have and will use any "fake" claim our media offers them (i.e. Newsweek and the bogus Qoran frenzy). I'm a former Middle East intelligence analyst and I recommend readers stop reading the mainstream media. Every line you read decreases your ability to participate as an informed citizen. Getting Zarqawi is a major victory for the forces of freedom and a PR blow to the terrorists unless our media put defeat from the jaws of victory again.

The optimists in this operation may indeed believe that the solution to the problem has been found and killed. However the realists all know it is not going to make any difference at all for the better. If Zawqari's own family has been "expecting" his death, then surely so has Al Quida. There is a planned sucessor, and now an even greater reason for the violence and mayhem to continue. My guess would be that we can expect an increase in the militant action in the days to come and the number of senselss casualties in Bush's personal agenda against Saddam Hussein will continue to mount.

Bottom line, this was a psychological victory more than a tactical one. Car bombs will still kill Iraqi civilians at the rate af 1500 dead a month. The militas are ramping up for a civil war. The reason we could FINALLY find and catch an inept bumbler like Zarqawi was because the militas don't want him, and don't consider him part of their struggle. In short, they turned him in so they can get on with establishing their "turf". We are turning Iraq into Somalia. Somalia with oil.

Mr. Meceda,
You would be of greater help to your news organization if you weren't so pessimistic and condescending to the left. Is your head really in the sand? Al Qaeda has the player in Iraq even when Sadaam was still in power. Quit spinning the story the way you want people to believe it and just report the news. You need to go spend some time embedded with our troops or the Iraqi security forces. Take the whole staff of MSNBC with you!

"Turning point?" "Tipping point?" "Great day in the war against terror?" Where is the "light and the end of the tunnel" speech. There have been so many turning points, tipping points and other cr** that has been announced for 3 years from this presidents and his lackeys and others I lost count with "Mission Accomplished". Westmorland and McNamera got away with it for years until the country finally wised up and decided it had to take to the streets and force Nixons hand into "Peace" with "Honor?" or in other words "We quit".

Yet another turning point ? Well, it may be, and I hope so, but it depends on a lot of things

The sad part is that many of the idiotic and crazed terrorists will use this to bolster thier cause, at least in the short term. I, personally, am glad that the planet is rid of one nasty human being who I don't think should have lived this long. For the supporters who want him to be a martyr and want to keep the fight going, may your day in the barrel be tomorrow. It is time for us to really step up and dispatch the worthless muslim terrorists and bring our young men and women home. Bush, your doing fine. Keep whittling down that list and pounding them to sand. Eventually, they will disperse or die.

Carlos

Remember... if i am the CEO of a company and i die there is some one ready to take my place. Who ever is next in line has to prove that he is worthy of taking leadership. Who ever this person is has to prove it to everyone, so Maliki has a great open door to take his stand as a leader and take control of his country, thanks to our military and president Bush. But we must understand that war is part of this world and as long as people are around we have a problem. Everyone is trying to prove themselves, they have the answer for everything wronge in this world, but they don't. All we can do is trust in God and pray for or goverment that they will make decisions that will better the people of this earth.
FACT: No one has the answers (only God) and we all make mistaks.

Its funny to see the mainstream media trip over themselves to downplay the importance of Zarqawi's death.

You ever see a maninstream media reporter ever point out the upside to bad news? Of course not. The liberal media's goal and Zarqawi's goals are the same: demoralizng America.

The death of the terrorist Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi will not impact the horrific conditions in Iraq's major provinces. The United States will continue to fabricate new excuses for its prolonged stay in Iraq. The sectarianism that has reared its ugly head in Iraq was NOT the major problem it has become. Other than the Kurds, most Iraqis have not waged disputes along religious lines (whether Shia or Sunni). Though it is true that the minority Sunnis were coddled by the British and assumed power in Modern Iraq, the struggles in Iraq were always political based on classes inherited since Ottoman times. These problems changed to political affiliations and subsequently became a major problem with the coming of the Ba'ath to power in 1968. With Saddam ascent to full power in 1979, the role of thugs and clanish politics began to assume a greater role as those who were trusted with greater roles were chosen very carefully to maintain power. The U.S. presence in Iraq has produced a new crop of corrupt officials, the kind that will not simply fade into the woodwork once the U.S. assumes a lessor role in governing Iraq. There will be days, months and years of reckoning where Iraqis will seek to "clean house" and undertake to push out all those who collaborated closely with America's imperial designs under the guise of freedom and democracy. The United States invaded Iraq for her own reasons as the criminal Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi also did. Neither had the Iraqi people's interest in mind. While Al-Zarqawi murdered like a monstrous criminal, the United States eliminated thousands under a fraudulent banner. The United States and Iraq have no common historical, political, cultural, or religious common grouds that unite them. This sudden urge to liberate was fabricated. America's deep seeded hatred of anything and everything Arab is well documented in popular culture (film, television, fiction and political commentary). The U.S. military entered Iraq with the mentality of exacting retribution for all the accumlated frustrations built up over years of actual grievances and fabricated fantasies. Afterall, Iraq is not England that we are protecting nor France that was freed from the clutches of Nazi Germany. There was no Iraqi Charles DeGual who marched in with Iraqi troops in a freed Baghdad. There was an American viceroy, Paul Bremmer, who laid the foundation of the corruption that we now see. Even the Iraqi elections were a fiasco as the Iraqi people elected lists along sectarian lines and left it up to the politicians to choose who will be in the government. These lists had to meet the approval of the United States and ALL were paid to participate. American policy will dictate that you grease the winner who ultimately has no authority in Iraq beyond being backed by the United States' military. So Zarqawi is gone to hell, what will the new excuse be?

Could this be a turning point in the war? I really think it can cast another opportunity for the Iraqis to see that terrorists/terrorism CAN be defeated and CAN be short-lived. I'm hoping that with the event of al-Zarqawi's death it will revive hopes for a better and safer Iraq. Sometimes all we need is a little hope, and a little hope can go a long way. Could this be Nouri's big chance to show and say our new Iraqi government is led with an iron fist, and such terrorists and sponsors of terror are going to be eliminated? Could the event of al-Zarqawi's death revive international support for an increasingly hated war? I think that a big part of the insurgency and terrorism is basically supported by a lot of the international community due to the fact that they're to quick to bash the war rather than point out positive things that are happening, thus creating a feeling of "support" for the terrorists. If most of the international community were to stand-up and say "Iraq will be a free country, and the Iraqis will be free of the horror and terror", would this create a huge unease for the murderers and terrorists? We're not going to up and leave Iraq, so instead of debating why were there and bashing those who led us there-- lets debate and come up with ways that would help the situation so we can come back. Supporting our troops, and supporting a free Iraq will soon lead to a better tomorrow.

It must be a greatest day when the news about most wanted terrorist al-Zarqawi was killed today. Hopefully the next one will be Usama bin Laden. Sure hope that it will be peace in Iraq from now on. The people of Iraq need to have peace ine their own country. I support the people of Iraq.

If an Iraq terrorist group took out the White House with Bush and his administration inside, would the US pull out of Iraq? I highly doubt it! I don't believe the current events will change anything in Iraq.

Are you sure bush didn't right that first comment. One apple has fallen off the tree, but there are thousands more in the orchard. Bush has everyone happy that they got the main one. Sure they did. Remember they said things will change when they caught Saddam.

Zarqawi is a propagandist invention. America and her allies felt it was necessary to finally dispose of the boogeyman. The myth of Zarqawi had outlived its usefulness. Polls are down, news of American massacres are leaking, elections are approaching - why not create another false victory for the folks back home? Heck, even call it a turning point. Yeah, right.

I have no idea how Zarqawi's death will affect the strength of the insurgency in Iraq, but the world is clearly a better place without that sadistic monster. However, I am bothered to see how my (the U.S.) government will one day ridicule Zarqawi for not knowing how to fire an automatic weapon and for wearing Reeboks in an attempt to diminish his stature as a "warrior leader," and then weeks later hail his killing as a turning point in the battle against the insurgency. I'm so sick of the propoganda and spin from the government in reporting on the progress (or lack thereof) of this war. I also don't think the government needs to show pictures of the dead man in the media. Even though Zarqawi had zero respect for human life, many of us Americans do. Besides, it's just plain disturbing. The government expects us to accept its word on everythng else about the war, so why do they feel the need to provide visual evidence of Zarqawi's death? I would have taken their word for it. I'll give the government the benefit of the doubt and assume it was more for the Iraqi people, but if the suicide bombings and other acts of violance don't decrease in frequency soon, then their comfort in knowing that Zarqawi is dead will be short-lived and pretty meaningless.

I am sadden by all the death, pain and sorrow that war brings. Al Zarqawi was a misguided soul, who was driven by hate. Many Americans are misguided too, if they think this war is a just war. Hate is hate no matter how we try to defend this war and justify the death of human lives, in the name of freedom. Isn't there a better way? This afternoon a co-worker, showed me an article that said al Zarqawi had been killed. She said she was relieved and that as a Christian she believes that this is a just war. My reply was, well, that is why I'm not Christian or a member of any religion or religious group. Christians, Muslim and Jews killing one another. I am spiritual and I believe in a God of unconditional love. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience. And if God is love why do religions fight one another? If God is love, why can't we love our sisters and brothers? And what is holy about war? The Iraqis and everyone on the planet are our sisters and brothers for we are one. Many of us are dual in our thinking, meaning we love one minute and we hate the next. We love who we want to love an hate who we want to hate. This lower level of thinking cause us to become just as barbaric as those we are fighting. What about using our higher minds, and a higher consciousness, which will say that only love can conquer hate. War is Hate. War is not the answer, only love (unconditional love) is. Do the majority of Americans honestly believe that killing and fighting is the solution? I feel that this war has opened up a can of worms and let loose more terror. A spiritual principal is, what you do, comes back to you and you reap what you sow. Sure some say we are fighting for democracy and so the Iraqis can have freedom from tyranny. But why should a single person have to die to be free? Are we a civilized society or are we deceiving ourselves? My grandmother used to say "two wrongs don't make a right." A spiritual solution is "unconditional" love. America and people all over the world, stop fighting, and start loving. Only love can conquer hate and fighting is not loving.

Lets face it, the war with Al-Quida has just begun. Zarqwai was just an Al-Quida wannabe that Al-Quida wanted nothing to do with before the US invaded Iraq. They have been using him only because he was a thorn in the US's side. To Al-Quida, Zarqwai was just "cannon fodder", useful until he was killed or captured. He is easily replaced.