al-Zarqawi Pronounced Dead

It was made known today that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a leader of Al-Qaeda, was killed in a U.S. raid last night. So, what can we make of this? What are the positives? Could there possibly be any negatives? Will it alter the government's approach and course in Iraq? Will it change the public's perception of the war? Will it help Bush in his approval rating, thereby aiding Republicans with the mid-term elections upcoming?

First off, at the surface, there are no negatives that can be seen with the killing of a terrorist leader. But, in the grand scheme of things, will this one death make much of a difference? No, probably not. The only possible way that there could be a negative to the killing is if the person who replaces al-Zarqawi is more dangerous than he was.

I don't see why or how this would alter the government's approach in the war. This one man dying does not make an insurgent-free Iraq. This is why the war on terror, like the war on drugs, is impossible to win. Sure, al-Zarqawi was a leader of the terrorist group, but as soon as he goes down, another will step in and take his place. If someone assassinates a president of ours, no fear, the vice president will take over. If the vice president is killed, then the next in line will take over.

It may help Bush and the Republicans, though. Why? Al-Zarqawi, like Bin Laden, is the face of terrorism and Al-Qaeda. Regardless if his death truly makes a difference in the long run or not, his death has face value in the U.S. He may not have as much as Bin Laden, but I'd say that he had the second most face value, next to Bin Laden. It'll help Bush and company buy time with the war, as they'll be able to fend off some criticism from those who were on the fence regarding the war and are now seeing hope. I would not be surprised to see the drop in approval for the Iraq War level off some, if not stop the fall all together and increase in support.

This is the perfect scenario for Bush. He hasn't received much love from his base and foundation with his ideas regarding immigration. In fact, I'd say that overall, liberals and Democrats are more pleased with his ideas on immigration that conservatives and Republicans. The opposite is true when it comes to the marriage amendment proposal. His base and foundation, for the most part, agree with the proposal and most liberals and Democrats disagree with the president. With the death of al-Zarqawi, this may distract his base and foundation from the immigration debate and may even distract some Democrats from the marriage proposal.

Even the slightest good news during a long, painful, and excruciating war can bring some hope to even the harshest of critics. What it'll definitely do, is strengthen Bush's support with his own base. His support from conservatives and Republicans should increase after today. It'll be very interesting to see where the ratings go from here, especially from Independents and Democrats. I doubt too many Democrats will change their minds about the war, but there could be a slight shift amongst Independents.

Why else is it the perfect scenario for the president? Because, he still has yet to come forward about Bin Laden's death (which occurred over four years ago), so he still has Bin Laden's face and voice to provoke fear in the minds and hearts of Americans. Also, this might quiet some critics who claim Bin Laden to be dead with the logic, "Well, he came forward about al-Zarqawi's death. Why wouldn't he come forward about Bin Laden being dead?" Because, Bin Laden has worked as a fear factor for the past four plus years. Al-Zarqawi's name doesn't create the same stir and reaction amongst Americans as Osama Bin Laden's. Bin Laden died over four years ago and someone stepped in for him like he never even perished. The same will hold true of al-Zarqawi's death. While, it's nice to have a main name and face associated with terrorism off of the most wanted list, there's another in a long line just waiting to follow in the footsteps of their former leader.

Link:

http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060608032509990001