Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Another “turning point” in Iraq

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As everyone’s heard, Zarqawi was killed in Iraq today. One less butchering maniac in the world is good, all things being equal. Bush’s cautious announcement this morning is telling, of course; the insurgency’s not going to disappear.

Back on March 19, 2003, I watched the “shock and awe” bombings of Baghdad and thought of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & co.: “God, I hope these guys know what they’re doing.”

Three + years, 2,480 American lives, and nearly $300 billion later, I can’t say I’m too psyched about finally bagging Public Enemy #1, who wasn’t even in Iraq before we invaded (Yes he was, and we let him stay; Cos refreshes my memory on that.) I’m still waiting for these guys to show that they know what they’re doing.

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Comments

  1. Last I checked, Osama Bin Laden was still public enemy number 1.

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    I’d bet there are a few folks who are vying for the 2 spot, including some assorted folks in Iran and North Korea.  Zarqawi was certainly an enemy of tUSA and the UK, but he was certanly not PE#1.

  2. Zarqawi had some camp in northern Iraq before we invaded.  He was on the lam from Jordan, IIRC.  His camp was in Kurdish-controlled territory, but of course they didn’t control all their territory, they just kept Saddam’s government’s military out.  So there was a lot of free land out there for people like Zarqawi to use without needing a sponsor government.

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    The US military wanted to bomb Zarqawi’s camp in 2002 and 2003, before the Iraq war.  Three times, they proposed it, and were shot down by the Bush administration:

    Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

    The United States did attack the camp at Kirma at the beginning of the war, but it was too late — Zarqawi and many of his followers were gone.

  3. An astonishing fact I learned on NPR today. Until Colin Powell told the UN that Zarqawi was the critical link between Hussein and Osama, he was actually only a small time terrorist leading a small band. He wasn’t very powerful or influential. BUT… after the US branding of him, he did in fact develop into a leader, forging ties with Osama.

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    Go team- that’s the old team spirit. We lifted up an angry man and gave him prestige and a mission. Another Bush success story on the war against terror… pathetic.

    • The US built up Zarqawi and annointed him a major terrorist leader, as part of the strategy to make the case for invading Iraq.  Never mind that he wasn’t even operating in Saddam-controlled territory.

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