ding dong the wicked witch is dead.

In case you have been living under a rock, al-Zarqawi is dead. Although this is undoubtedly good news, I would like to add that it is by no means time for rejoicing. We got a very bad guy, a guy who had no problems slitting innocent throats (the discussion about what the Jihadis consider an innocent is the topic for another post. I'll give you a hint, you're not it, no matter who you are), indiscriminately bombing people with no other intention but to terrorize and who wished to foment a civil war in an already traumatized country. The world is better with his death.

All that being said, I think that we shouldn't expect things to suddenly turn rosy there. Cutting off a head of the hydra is important, but it's just one head. The oft-espoused thought that this will just create more people willing to martyr themselves doesn't grasp the military nature of the enemy. One general (provided he is competent) is worth 500 privates because his decisions determine how the 500 are being used. Furthermore, the death of a charismatic leader is worth much, much more. Zarqawi certainly was that, and it may be awhile before al-Qaeda finds a new poster-boy. Probably the best effect it will create is the impression that we can get the Jihadis no matter where they lie, an impression, I must note, that W. allowed to turn to fiction by letting Bin Laden still drawn breath all these years. I don't know if this is a turning point or just a piece of trivia in the long run, but it certainly can't hurt.