In life, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi cast a giant shadow not only over Iraq, but across the entire Middle East thanks, in large part, to the U.S. government's propaganda apparatus, which kept up a constant barrage dedicated to identifying the Iraqi insurgency with the leader of the "Monotheism and Holy War" grouplet, often referred to as "al-Qaeda in Iraq." In death, however, quite a different story emerges. Full Story »
Posted by Harley Griffin
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Raimondo reminds us that Zarqawi, who the White House refused to strike in 2002, has been a convenient U.S. "propaganda icon" since early attempts to justify the Iraq invasion as associated with Al-Qaeda and the attack on the World Trade Center. He points out, with evidence and reference (including Pentagon admission that "insiders" provided the actionable intel), that all credit for killing the "mad car bomber" who nobody liked belongs with the Iraqi insurgency, which benefits, and that Al-Qaeda benefits as well.
The writer presents the provocative hypothesis that Zarqawi's death should be credited, directly or indirectly, to the insurgents rather than the Iraqi or the US government. The writer gives no direct supporting evidence. Facts, opinions and innuendos are often mixed. To assess objectively the importance of Zarqawi's death, given his secretive life and very recent death, is impossible at this point. Opinion pieces like this one and the one by Christopher Hitchens do little to inform the reader.
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