The U.S. government sent Al Capone and John Gotti to jail and it didn't mean dirt to the crime organizations.

The U.S. will find out killing Al-Zarqawi will not change the insurgency in Iraq.

The only thing that will change is the insurgents will change their tactics just the like the crime organizations did when Al Capone and John Gotti were sent to jail.

Bill Corcoran, Chicago, corkcol@aol.com

It seems odd to me that the death of a fellow human is a happy moment. I don't think I am trying to diminish the horrible acts of Zarqawi or that he was our sworn enemy by saying, it scares me as an American to see how barbaric we can be as a people. By default I am an American, thank God. I love America. America and our Federal Government are two seperate entities that are somehow tangled together. A statment comes to mind about the death of Zarqawi and here is a paraphrase of it, by our own hand do we seal our own fate. This was easy for me to write because I have no answers or solutions. The lines between right and wrong are blurred. For America alone I could have killed Zarqawi.

Great news about a possible new beginning in Iraq. Maybe we can offer maytrdome to all al-quada!!
John Mann, Coeur d'Alene, ID

Richard,
Just want to thank you for being present for this great news and sharing it with us first hand. Stay safe and thank all the servicemen and women for their sacrifices.
Margaret, Michigan City Indiana

Because of the religious differences, this death will have little effect. It is now a civil war. The sooner we can gracefuly get out the better. We need troops on the border.

This guys death is important, no doubt. But as we will learn very quickly, it won't stop the war in Iraq. Our Marines and soldiers are still losing limbs and dying every day. Congrats to the military and their allies for this kill. But wait and see what difference it really makes.

We would think that if there were as many terror cells in our United States as the media states, we
would have a big retaliation. Let us hope not.
Our father lives to protect his children.
God bless America!

Thanks for the news that one more of the "evil doers"
has been eleminated. It would be great if his replacement could be taken down before he has time to build a name for himself.

I'm glad to hear Zarqawi has been killed. I think it is a small step toward stabilizing the situation between the Sunni and Shite; maybe less beheadings and slaughter of innocent people will slow down the anger felt between them. However, I think we should all keep in mind that even though this may appear to be a big event to some, it is only a minimal step towards stabilizing Iraq and leaving the country with an operational government that will last. There are still many groups and issues that have to be dealt with and then resolved before we can claim any kind of success in Iraq.

Hi Richard,
This is a great news for all decent human beings all over the world. At this opportunity I also would like to thank you sincerely for being our eyes and ears in a region so dangerous and one where you have to put up with a lot of difficuties. You have taken a very noble profession. Congratulations to you and every one in the world who are on right side of this war against terrorism.

This is great news. I am in a hotel room.When I heard the news it gave me a new desire for our guys to be given more & more support .for All of us who are relaxing on the beach free of worry and other places I hope you realize it's things like this we should pray and give thanks to God and our country for

While I am well aware it is not over, we must win individual battles in order to win the war.

I hope this will bing some solace the families of those who have been brutalized by this monster and his thugs.

While its important not to overestimate the value of taking out a leader, it is equally important not to underestimate it, either.

Organizations like this are cults of personality with very little distributed authority. While true that cutting off one head may cause two to grow back, its also equally true that sometimes two heads don't function very well on one body, and it tears them apart.

Look at how inept Fatah became after the death of Yassir Arafat. While not completely helpless, they are becoming progressively directionless, and powerless.

Tim from Chicago, are you truly comparing the US effort in Iraq to what the Nazis tried to do in Europe? Personally I don't see that we are in Iraq to commit mass genocide on the Arab people there, their insurgency has very little to do with fighting for their lives, and more to do with creating a terrorist anarchy. It bothers me greatly when any group throws out the name of God for the purpose of killing, and hopefully removing Zarqawi is a step in the right direction, albeit a small step.

I'm glad that monster is dead. I hate to wish ill on anyone, but I have to admit that it brings a smile to my face to believe that this guy is rotting in hell as I write this. I only wish that it would mark the 'beginning of the end' , as it were, to all the terrorism in Iraq. Unfortunately I doubt it will slow things down much.

This is just a small step into ending this nightmare.Does this mean our troops will be coming home soon?

This is a great day for America and thank you for being there to let us know about the celebration that took place. This event should make all Americans rejoice because I really do believe this is a major step in the journey to get our troops home and have Iraq be able to govern itself and protect itself. The insurgency grows weaker and weaker every month and was just dealt a huge blow. I look forward to the day where our troops are no longer needed. God bless our military.

Gracias a Dios,lets pray that the war's end is close.

I'm sure the 19 people killed and 40 others maimed by bombs in Baghdad after Zarqawi's "elimination" are just thrilled with this new turning point. We've created a Hydra and just because we cut off one of its heads, we haven't come close to resolving the problem. We still have no clue where we are going or how to get there.

I'm glad a killer has been killed. But I'm not buying into this as yet another "Mission Accomplished" moment.

These guys woke the sleeping giant and we're going to get them all. We'll find them where they sleep and make sure they don't wake up. Keep up the good reporting, hopefully there will be more good news to celebrate soon. God Bless America!

I could not help but only read the first few lines of "Ron S". To hear, as a military officer, that all he has to say is that he is an American by default and that he is troubled in cherishing the death of an individual human being as grotesque and disgusting as Zarqawi is disturbing. A man who cuts the heads off of innocent human beings, whatever their nationality, is "barbaric". A man that bombs innocent women and children is "barbaric". A man that terrifies the hopes and dreams of a country that wishes to be free is "barbaric". I'm sorry for "Ron S" and for all that support his beliefs. Let us not be disturbed by this event. Let us not question what is right and what is wrong. For in the end, in this case, there is no question of what is right or what is wrong and the death of such a scoundral does not even deserve this question to begin with. We should be glad that this man is dead. As a god fearing man we should rejoice, regardless of whether or not this helps us in our future objectives, regardless of whether or not this brings my fellow servicemembers home sooner, that this man is dead. Rejoice! For in the end, a sick man, bound by his own inhumane acts, has perished from the face of this earth, never to do wrong acts against anyone again. God Bless my fellow soldiers. God Bless that we are making progress in this war torn country. God bless the fact that we are, without contradiction, one step closer to the successful completion of this mission. I'm leaving shortly for Afghanistan. With all likelihood, I'll probably be leaving on an individual tasking for Iraq. I accept this responsiblity without reservation. Similarly, I hope that those watching these events rejoice without reservation.

Our military killed someone, again. I'm not jumping up and down celebrating. It's a soldier's job...and it's a terrible tragedy every time it happens. War seems to bring out survival mentalities; human life, when not at war, is satisfying when we meet needs far beyond a survival level.

Here's where it goes for me: If I were locked in a life-and-death shootout with him and I'd had to kill him myself to survive, I would be grateful to be alive afterwards. His death would still be a tragedy, though, not something I'd celebrate.

Killing this man does absolutely nothing to advance the cause of peace. For example, read the conflicting comments of the Iraqi PM in 2 successive paragraphs at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13195017/: "whenever there is a new al-Zarqawi, we will kill him" and "This is a message for all those who embrace violence, killing and destruction to stop and to (retreat) before it’s too late". How can killing someone reinforce the message that killing is wrong? He can't even live by his own words...

Do I support the folks in the Army locked in this struggle? I hope for the safety of each of them, along with the safety of Iraqis - Sunni and Shiite - and all the other people living there today. This war is a complete travesty.

I've been waiting for this day for a LONG time. Zarqawi's death is something everyone in America should be excited about. Some people's hatred of George Bush knows no limits though and so they can't see this victory for what it is. I thank God in heaven above for leading our soldiers in this victory and I thank the soldiers for fighting for us and for freedom. Al-Zarqawi is no doubt burning in hell as opposed to enjoying any virgins. I'm hoping Bin-Laden's life insurance is up to date because his days are numbered too.

Reading what some wrote in here, you might conclude it would have been better to leave this guy alive, instead of "increasing the violence" by killing him. This is of course the rationale of the loser mentality.

Sure, someone will step into Zarqawis place, but someone stepped into Hitlers place too after he whacked himself.

This is very important to the Iraqi's who are just plain tired of this man killing THEM. He lost most support a long time ago in Iraq when he started butchering citizens instead of focusing on Americans.

This is a great day!

Good News !!Hopefully this will slow if not eliminate entirely the terroists in that country.