Musab al-Zarqawi DEAD

[E40FDNYL35]

June 8, 2006 -- BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 8 - Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in an American airstrike on an isolated safe house north of Baghdad at 6.15 p.m. local time on Wednesday, top U.S. and Iraqi officials said on today. At a joint news conference with Iraq's prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, the top American military commander in Iraq, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said Zarqawi's body had been positively identified by fingerprints, "facial recognition" and known scars. He said seven of Zarqawi's associates had also been killed in the strike. The announcement of Zarqawi's death, shortly before noon on today in Baghdad, appeared to mark a major watershed in the war. With a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, the Jordan-born Zarqawi has been the most wanted man in Iraq for his leadership of Islamic terrorist groups that have carried out many of the most brutal attacks of the war, including scores of suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. "Today, we have managed to put an end to Zarqawi," said a beaming Mr. Maliki, who took office three weeks ago at the head of Iraq's first full-term government since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. He said the death should be a warning to other insurgent leaders. "They should stop now," he said. "They should review their situation and resort to logic while there is still time." The announcement came on the same day that Mr. Maliki's new government took a crucial step forwarde by winning Parliamentary approval of nominees for interior and defense minister, which had been blocked by disagreements between political parties. American and Iraqi officials all muted their high spirits today with a recognition that violence is bound to continue, a point underscored by a midday blast in eastern Baghdad that killed at least a dozen people, news services reported. "Unfortunately, this kind of violence has become routine," Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a televised interview. Zarqawi, an adopted name taken from the town of Zarqa in Jordan where the insurgent leader was raised, had assumed an almost mythic status for his long run of terrorist attacks and statements issued on Islamic militant websites that declared his goal to be the establishment of a new "caliphate" in Iraq. The term is taken from the term given to the vast areas of the Arab world that came under strict Islamic rule within 100 years of the death of the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th Century A.D. Mr. Maliki, the prime minister, said the raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader had taken place in an area known as Hibhib in Diyala province, which stretches north and east of Baghdad to the Iranian border. The area, 55 miles north of Baghdad, is has drawn intensified American military activity in recent weeks in response to a new wave of sectarian killings, including one on Sunday in which Sunni Arab gunmen pulled 20 people off minibuses near Baquba, including seven high school students, and killed them. Gen. Casey said an American air strike had targeted "a single dwelling in a wooded area surrounded by very dense palm forest" eight kilometers, or five miles, north of the city of Baquba, and that "precision munitions" had been used, a phrase that usually refers to laser-guided bombs or missiles. An unconfirmed report on Iraq's state-owned television channel, al-Iraqiya, said the attack had been carried out by American attack helicopters. Mr. Zebari said that the American military had been following Zarqawi "very closely" in recent weeks. He said Zarqawi had been vulnerable ever since he had lost his refuge in Anbar province, which is largely in the hands of Sunni insurgents. "He had been forced out of Anbar" after Sunnis there "joined hands with their Iraqi brothers," Mr. Zebari said. Gen. Casey said fuller details of the raid would be given at an American military briefing at 3 p.m. local time, 7 a.m. EST. The atmosphere at the news conference announcing the killing of Zarqawi was reminiscent of a similar occasion on Dec. 13, 2003, when L. Paul Bremer III, the head of the American occupation then ruling Iraq, announced that Saddam Hussein had been captured in a stifling underground bunker near Mr. Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, 100 miles north of Baghdad. The mood then was one of triumphalism, with Mr. Bremer declaring "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!" and U.S. military commanders describing the capture as a major turning point in the war. Those hopes were quickly disappointed as the insurgency rapidly worsened, and Mr. Hussein, now on trial in Baghdad, has used the courtroom dock as a platform to encourage the insurgents to intensify their attacks on American and Iraqi targets. This time, the mood of the American and Iraqi leaders was more cautious, though Mr. Maliki, opening the news conference with the formal announcement of the Zarqawi killing, was greeted by celebratory shouts and cries of "peace be upon him," the traditional Islamic obeisance to the Prophet Mohammed that Muslims make at moments of joy or special significance. Gen. Casey, nearing the end of his second year as the American commander here, confined his remarks to a spare summary of the raid that killed Zarqawi. The general shook Mr. Maliki's hand vigorously after the Iraqi leader made the formal announcement of Zarqawi's death, but otherwise seemed at pains not to overstate the significance of the moment. Zarqawi, he said, "is known to be responsible for the deaths of thousands" with his terror attacks, and his death would be a major blow to Al Qaeda. But he added a sober note, saying that "although the designated leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq is now dead", hard fighting in the war lay ahead. "This is just a step in the process", he said. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, took a similar approach. Smiling broadly, the envoy described Zarqawi's death as "a great success for Iraq" in its war with terrorists, and congratulated Gen. Casey, "whose forces carried out this very vital mission." In a personal nod to Gen. Casey, he noted that the American commander "has been here now for more than 700 days" - an oblique way, perhaps, of saying that Zarqawi's death marked a rare upturn in the war for the force of 135,000 American troops Gen. Casey leads, who have lost more than 2,400 soldiers dead and more than 17,000 wounded, with no end to the war in sight. "Zarqawi was the godfather of sectarian killing in Iraq," Mr. Khalilzad said. "He led a civil war within Islam and a global of civilizations." To this, the ambassador added a note of caution. "Zarqawi's death will not end the violence in Iraq," he said, "but it is an important step in the right direction." He said it was also an important step for the Maliki government, new in power and facing an uphill struggle to bolster the flagging confidence of Iraqis in the ability of the Baghdad leadership to bring an end to killing that human rights groups say has cost at least 30,000 civilian lives, and possibly many more. But "there will be difficult days ahead," Mr. Khalilzad said. He added, "I call on Iraq's various communities to take responsibility for bringing sectarian violence to an end, and for all Iraqis to unite" behind the Maliki government, which, though dominated by figures from Shiite religious groups like Mr. Maliki, has a cabinet composed of representatives from all three of Iraq's principal ethnic and religious groups, Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds. For Mr. Maliki, the killing of Mr. Zarqawi brought immediate political results in the form of parliamentary approval, immediately after the news conference, of Mr. Maliki's nominees for the vacant security posts in the cabinet, the ministers of defense, interior and national security. After the prime minister's repeated failures to win agreement of contending groups within the government on earlier nominees, he stood at the podium in the parliament chamber and presented the three men who emerged from weeks of overlapping vetoes by the main Sunni and Shiite political groups. The new ministers were named as Abdul Qadr Mohammed Jassim, a former general under Saddam Hussein who was jailed in 1994 and sentenced to seven years imprisonment, as minister of defense; Jawad Khadim Polani, a former air force engineering specialist under Mr. Hussein, as minister of the interior, responsible for the police; and Shirwan al-Waili as minister of national security. In line with an agreement reached several weeks ago between Sunni and Shiites groups, Gen. Jassim, who has until recently been land forces commander in the new American-trained Iraqi army, is a Sunni Arab, and Mr. Polani, the interior minister, is a Shiite. Both men stressed in remarks to the parliament that they had no ties to any of the rival political parties in the government, a qualification that American officials had insisted on after the former government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was virtually immobilized over allegations that the interior ministry was sheltering Shiite death squads targeting Sunnis.

[MalahatTwo7]

There was commentary on the radio about this. Apparently the Spritial Leader (I dont have his name) of the Al Qaeda was with Zarqawi at the time. The "joke" was that he "looked out the window" and saw the cruise missle approaching. I wont repeat the phrase they used to describe his "final" words. :) {unfortunately I can not find substantiation for the Cleric's presence prior to the event}

[Resq1scnd2none]

The forces were told by locals that he was there right?. I have but one question?
According to the liberal press/anti-"du jour", the locals Iraqi citizens don't want the coalition forces there. Seems to me if that was the case wouldn't they NOT have said he was where he was?

Just my thoughts.

[jasper45]

I wonder how he is enjoying his time in hell.

[Steamer]

There was commentary on the radio about this. Apparently the Spritial Leader (I dont have his name) of the Al Qaeda was with Zarqawi at the time. The "joke" was that he "looked out the window" and saw the cruise missle approaching. I wont repeat the phrase they used to describe his "final" words. :) {unfortunately I can not find substantiation for the Cleric's presence prior to the event}
The military released some of the op details just a short time ago, and they said that two 500 pound laser guided bombs were "delivered" by 2 F16's. They also confirmed that Zarqawi's "spiritual adviser" was also killed in the attack. Five others were also killed including 1 woman and a child, but they have not been otherwise identified.

The forces were told by locals that he was there right?. I have but one question?
According to the liberal press/anti-"du jour", the locals Iraqi citizens don't want the coalition forces there. Seems to me if that was the case wouldn't they NOT have said he was where he was?

Just my thoughts.
A $25 million reward can cause one to re-evaluate their convictions and principles.

[pkfd7505]

Here is a link (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/iraq.al.zarqawi/index.html) to the CNN story, check out the video of the bomb run.

[E40FDNYL35]

Here is a link (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/iraq.al.zarqawi/index.html) to the CNN story, check out the video of the bomb run.

or this link:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/video/international/Zaqarwi_Clip.wmv

[FlyingKiwi]

And the last thing to pass through Zarqawi's mind.....



Shrapnel.

[CaptainGonzo]

And the last thing to pass through Zarqawi's mind.....



Shrapnel.


One could only hope that the 500 pound laser guided bombs were first rubbed with a piece of ham... insuring that when the shrapnel passed through Zarqawi's body, it forever doomed him to hell....

[DaSharkie]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. :D



Of course now we get to start hunting down the next scumbag that IS NOT AN IRAQI NATIONAL who tries to take things over in Iraq. I am sure that we will have time to reload those 500 pounders. :D

[FlyingKiwi]

Gonz

You have to admire the precision with which the USAF delivers its ordinance, even the B-52 is highly accurate.

They have NEVER dropped a bomb that has failed to hit the ground. :D

[FDNY101TRUCK]

You know its about time, we have been hunting this clown for how long now...

[NYSmokey]

One could only hope that the 500 pound laser guided bombs were first rubbed with a piece of ham... insuring that when the shrapnel passed through Zarqawi's body, it forever doomed him to hell....

I was hoping they'd shove a ham down his throat before they buried him.

[MalahatTwo7]

Al-Zarqawi Was Still Alive When Soldiers Arrived
Tips From Militants Led To Bombing Target

UPDATED: 10:24 am EDT June 9, 2006

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BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was still alive when Iraqi police arrived at a site that was bombed by U.S. forces, a top-level spokesman for American military forces said Friday.

Brig Gen. Bill Caldwell, briefing military reporters at the Pentagon from his post in Baghdad, said he learned that al-Zarqawi was alive after the general was briefed on the military operation that netted al-Zarqawi and several others.

"He mumbled something but it was indistinguishable and it was very short," Caldwell said.

Caldwell said that al-Zarqawi made an attempt to turn away from the stretcher on which he had been placed, the soldiers secured him to the stretcher and then he died shortly after from the bombing wounds. Caldwell said he was still alive when U.S. forces arrived on the scene.


"He died almost immediately thereafter from the wounds he'd received from this airstrike," Caldwell said.

"We did in fact see him alive," Caldwell said. "There was some sort of movement he had on the stretcher and he did die a short time later. There was confirmation from the Iraqi police that he was found alive." I wonder what "sort of movement" he had?

Caldwell said it was unclear whether al-Zarqawi was trying to get away as he writhed around on his stretcher.

When asked if al-Zarqawi had been shot, Caldwell said he had no information that the terror leader had gunshot wounds.

Caldwell said that the photos of the deceased al-Zarqawi were not digitally enhanced before being released to the public, but that the dead man's face was cleaned up in order to remove blood and debris before the photos were taken.

Revising what military officials said Thursday, Caldwell said it now appears there was no child among those killed in the bombing. He cautioned that some facts were still being sorted out. He said three women and three men, including al-Zarqawi, were killed.

Al-Zarqawi, whose bloody campaign of beheadings and suicide bombings made him the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, was killed when U.S. warplanes dropped 500-pound bombs on his isolated safe house, officials said Thursday. His death was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

The FBI is performing DNA analysis on the remains of al- Zarqawi and his associates.

Samples from the bodies have been delivered to the FBI crime laboratory in Quantico, Va. The samples were flown on military aircraft to the Washington-area facility.

An FBI spokesman now said the samples will be compared with evidence collected from other locations. The FBI had said earlier that the sample would be compared with a different DNA sample from al-Zarqawi for comparison. The results are expected in three days.

Officials said al-Zarqawi's body has already been fingerprinted to confirm it is that of the terrorist leader.

Three-Year-Search Ends With Two 500-Pound Bombs

After a three-year manhunt it finally came down to a little inside help, a fair bit of intelligence work -- and a couple of detoured fighter jets.

That's how the search wrapped up for al-Zarqawi.

Tips from all sorts of places apparently helped authorities find and kill the leader of al-Qaida-in-Iraq.

The country's prime minister credits residents near the home where two massive American bombs wiped out al-Zarqawi and five others.

U.S. military officials said with help from an al-Zarqawi insider, they identified and started tracking his spiritual leader. That led them to a modest home northeast of Baghdad, where the two men hooked up Thursday.

Seizing the window of opportunity, officials said two F-16s were diverted from another mission and sent to drop a pair of 500-pound bombs on the house. They killed both men, as well as four other people.

An official in Jordan said that country also gave the U.S. information to track Zarqawi -- who claimed responsibility for the hotel bombings that killed 60 in Iraq's neighbor.

While Zarqawi's people confirmed his death, U.S. officials said a DNA test should make it positive in days.

Iraq's prime minister said the $25 million bounty on al-Zarqawi's head will be paid.

Nouri al-Maliki declared to al-Arabiya TV, "We will meet our promise."

The U.S. had offered the payout for information leading to the death or capture of the militant leader.

The U.S. also offers a $25 million bounty for Osama bin Laden.

Taliban Leader Mourns al-Zarqawi

A message supposedly from the supreme leader of the Taliban mourns Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The written statement claims to come from Mullah Omar, who disappeared along with Osama bin Laden when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in late 2001. It said Omar is deeply saddened "over the martyrdom" of the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

It added that the death will not stop the insurgency in Iraq, calling it "the people's resistance" where every youth can grow up to become an al-Zarqawi.

There's no way to confirm the authenticity of the statement. It was e-mailed to an Associated Press reporter in Pakistan by a spokesman for the Taliban.

Egyptian May Succeed Al-Zarqawi

Who will take over for al-Zarqawi remains to be seen, since many of his deputies have been killed of late. And an American defense official says that while retaliation can't be ruled out, there's no intelligence indicating anything is planned.

While some analysts speculate on who'll succeed al-Zarqawi in Iraq, others said the real question is whether a new leader would change tactics.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Egyptian-born Abu al-Masri is the "most logical" successor. He's thought to have trained in Afghanistan before going to Baghdad with the mission of creating an al-Qaida cell.

Some speculate al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser was not killed with his boss, as reported. Someone with the same name, Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi, posted an al-Qaida statement on the Internet. If it's the same al-Iraqi, he could be the new leader.

One analyst said al-Zarqawi had lost credibility within the insurgency by urging Sunnis to attack Shiites. A successor could take a different tack.

Anti-terror specialist Anthony Cordesman is among experts who believe their could be a surge in retaliatory attacks. Cordesman, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said potential targets could include religious shrines.

Officials: Bin Laden Tougher Target Than Al-Zarqawi

Experts said even though the U.S. military killed Iraq's most-wanted terrorist, finding Osama bin Laden will be harder to do.

For one thing, they said, the 9/11 mastermind avoids satellite phones and the Internet. And he may be hiding in rugged, remote terrain, protected by loyal tribesmen along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A retired Pakistan army general said bin Laden isn't involved in day-to-day operations and he "enjoys the support of much more loyal people" than al-Zarqawi did.

A senior Pakistani security official said Pakistani forces and American-led coalition forces in Afghanistan are trying to get closer to bin Laden. But he said so far they "don't have any clue on his whereabouts."

Previous Story:

June 9, 2006: Bush: Al-Zarqawi's Death Not End Of Insurgency
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report

[E40FDNYL35]

http://www.nydailynews.com/images/editors/home0609.jpg

[fflynn17]

Samples from the bodies have been delivered to the FBI crime laboratory in Quantico, Va. The samples were flown on military aircraft to the Washington-area facility.



I hope the samples recovered were his test**les"

[38ffems]

A coward like that doesn't have any of those, if he did he would send the misled kids to go blow themselves up. Thank God this idiot is where he belongs. I wish we could have caught him alive though, all of his fanatical followers are seeing him as a martyr. If we found him alive we could string him up and let everyone who was affected by his bombing walk up and beat the **** outta him. I know myself and some friends would have had some serious repaying for what his bombs did to us and the family of our fallen hero.

[SPFDRum]

The irony- killed by Amercan built bombs after arriving in American built autos...

[doughesson]

I wondered that too,Cap.
Since the news has been updated to the presence of US and Iraqi troops looking at him and beginning treatment, I would bet that his last words were"Oh Sh**,the Americans got me."
His first words in Hell were probably"Hey where are the virgins?I don't want 72 Virginians after me."

One could only hope that the 500 pound laser guided bombs were first rubbed with a piece of ham... insuring that when the shrapnel passed through Zarqawi's body, it forever doomed him to hell....

[GodSendRain]

Oh, I'm sure he got his 72 virgins, but they're probably nagging him at the same time to take out the trash, or fix the sink, or give them $100 to get their hair done, or "open up" to them after working all day when all he wants to do is take a shower and go to sleep. Hold on, I'm formulating a mental picture.

I want a bass boat when I get to heaven. And some beer. And maybe cheap cable if that's not pushing it.

All in all, this is good news. Getting Osama out of the picture would be nice as well.

[Steamer]

Now, maybe they can arrange a face to face meeting between he and Osama.

[BFDNJFF]

Virgins........... Naaaaaah we have a lot of lost brothers who took care of that way before he would get to them. :D ;)

[DaSharkie]

http://www.nydailynews.com/images/editors/home0609.jpg


Doesn't get too much better than that. Only thing that tops it is the footage from the voting in Baghdad last year where the voters spat on the burned up corpse of a homicide bomber that tried to blow up a voting center. :D :D :D :D

But I suppose I am just a cruel, heartless, and insensitive pr!ck for feeling that way. Oh well, I can live it.

[scfire86]

As an introduction, I'd like to present some quotes from George W. Bush's 'favorite' philosopher...

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" - Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" - Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:9

"...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." - Jesus Christ, Luke 6:27-28

Link (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/08/berg.interview/index.html)

Michael Berg talks about the death of his son and al-Zarqawi

Thursday, June 8, 2006; Posted: 11:19 p.m. EDT (03:19 GMT)


(CNN) -- The U.S.-led coalition's No. 1 wanted man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- who conducted a campaign of insurgency bombings, beheadings and killings of Americans and Iraqi civilians -- was killed in a U.S. airstrike.

A gruesome video was posted on Islamic Web sites in May, 2004, depicting a man believed to be al-Zarqawi beheading Nicholas Berg, an American businessman who was working in Iraq.

CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien talks to Nicholas Berg's father, Michael Berg, by phone from Wilmington, Delaware, for his reaction to the news.

O'BRIEN: Mr. Berg, thank you for talking with us again. It's nice to have an opportunity to talk to you. Of course, I'm curious to know your reaction, as it is now confirmed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the man who is widely credited and blamed for killing your son, Nicholas, is dead.

MICHAEL BERG: Well, my reaction is I'm sorry whenever any human being dies. Zarqawi is a human being. He has a family who are reacting just as my family reacted when Nick was killed, and I feel bad for that.

I feel doubly bad, though, because Zarqawi is also a political figure, and his death will re-ignite yet another wave of revenge, and revenge is something that I do not follow, that I do want ask for, that I do not wish for against anybody. And it can't end the cycle. As long as people use violence to combat violence, we will always have violence.

O'BRIEN: I have to say, sir, I'm surprised. I know how devastated you and your family were, frankly, when Nick was killed in such a horrible, and brutal and public way.

BERG: Well, you shouldn't be surprised, because I have never indicated anything but forgiveness and peace in any interview on the air.

O'BRIEN: No, no. And we have spoken before, and I'm well aware of that. But at some point, one would think, is there a moment when you say, 'I'm glad he's dead, the man who killed my son'?

BERG: No. How can a human being be glad that another human being is dead?

O'BRIEN: There have been family members who have weighed in, victims, who've said that they don't think he's a martyr in heaven, that they think, frankly, he went straight to hell ...

You know, you talked about the fact that he's become a political figure. Are you concerned that he becomes a martyr and a hero and, in fact, invigorates the insurgency in Iraq?

BERG: Of course. When Nick was killed, I felt that I had nothing left to lose. I'm a pacifist, so I wasn't going out murdering people. But I am -- was not a risk-taking person, and yet now I've done things that have endangered me tremendously.

I've been shot at. I've been showed horrible pictures. I've been called all kinds of names and threatened by all kinds of people, and yet I feel that I have nothing left to lose, so I do those things.

Now, take someone who in 1991, who maybe had their family killed by an American bomb, their support system whisked away from them, someone who, instead of being 59, as I was when Nick died, was 5-years-old or 10-years-old. And then if I were that person, might I not learn how to fly a plane into a building or strap a bag of bombs to my back?

That's what is happening every time we kill an Iraqi, every time we kill anyone, we are creating a large number of people who are going to want vengeance. And, you know, when are we ever going to learn that that doesn't work?

O'BRIEN: There's an alternate reading, which would say at some point, Iraqis will say the insurgency is not OK -- that they'll be inspired by the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the sense of he was turned in, for example, we believe by his own No. 2, No. 3 leadership in his ranks.

And, that's actually them saying we do not want this kind of violence in our country. Experts whom we've spoken to this morning have said this is a critical moment where Iraqis need to figure out which direction the country is going to go. That would be an alternate reading to the scenario you're pointing to.

BERG: Yes, well, I don't believe that scenario, because every time news of new atrocities committed by Americans in Iraq becomes public, more and more of the everyday Iraqi people who tried to hold out, who tried to be peaceful people lose it and join -- what we call the insurgency, and what I call the resistance, against the occupation of one sovereign nation.

O'BRIEN: There's a theory that a struggle for democracy, you know...

BERG: Democracy? Come on, you can't really believe that that's a democracy there when the people who are running the elections are holding guns. That's not democracy.

O'BRIEN: There's a theory that as they try to form some kind of government, that it's going to be brutal, it's going to be bloody, there's going to be loss, and that's the history of many countries -- and that's just what a lot of people pay for what they believe will be better than what they had under Saddam Hussein.

BERG: Well, you know, I'm not saying Saddam Hussein was a good man, but he's no worse than George Bush. Saddam Hussein didn't pull the trigger, didn't commit the rapes. Neither did George Bush. But both men are responsible for them under their reigns of terror.

I don't buy that. Iraq did not have al Qaeda in it. Al Qaeda supposedly killed my son.

Under Saddam Hussein, no al Qaeda. Under George Bush, al Qaeda.

Under Saddam Hussein, relative stability. Under George Bush, instability.

Under Saddam Hussein, about 30,000 deaths a year. Under George Bush, about 60,000 deaths a year. I don't get it. Why is it better to have George Bush the king of Iraq rather than Saddam Hussein?

O'BRIEN: Michael Berg is the father of Nicholas Berg, the young man, the young businessman who was beheaded so brutally in Iraq back in May of 2004.

[SPFDRum]

SC, with such hatred towards America, honestly, why do you stay? Honest answers, not some canned rebutle or redirect.
I'm sure your constant belittlement of the government and ability to express yourself guarrenteed by our Constitution would be well recieved.

[scfire86]

SC, with such hatred towards America, honestly, why do you stay?
Because I love my country. And know it can be much better than it is now. When I stop believing that, I'll have a tag on my toe.

[doughesson]

Oh, I'm sure he got his 72 virgins, but they're probably nagging him at the same time to take out the trash, or fix the sink, or give them $100 to get their hair done, or "open up" to them after working all day when all he wants to do is take a shower and go to sleep.

So that's your vision of Hell,too?Could be worse:dealing with the ex's kin asking "How much?" in the dollar store for eternity comes to mind.

[DaSharkie]

Because I love my country. And know it can be much better than it is now. When I stop believing that, I'll have a tag on my toe.

Just don't count on politicians (of either party) to get us there. Other than that I agree with you.