Democrats will never admit it, but killing Zarqawi is more important, more significant, than killing Bin Laden, IMHO.
He was directing anti-coaltion efforts in what Bin Laden himself admits is the central front in the war on terror. Now he is gone. Now the new Iraqi government has a major feather in their cap. They also have a new defense minister, which would have been the big, positive development in Iraq today,
Iraqi Parliament Swears in New Ministers
The new defense minister is Iraqi Army Gen. Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji and Shiites Jawad al-Bolani for interior and Sherwan al-Waili for national security.
The posts are considered crucial for al-Maliki’s government to implement a plan allowing Iraqi forces to take over security from the U.S.-led coalition within 18 months, opening the way for the eventual withdrawal of foreign troops. The appointments end a stalemate among Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups over the crucial posts.
Al-Mifarji, who is not affiliated with any Sunni Arab party, told the 275-member body that he graduated from the Iraqi military academy in 1969 and was thrown out of the military and Saddam Hussein’s now outlawed Baath Party in 1991 after he criticized the invasion of Kuwait _ which led to his conviction by a military court in 1994 and a seven year prison sentence.
This is important, a Sunni who has anti-Saddam credibility.
For more on Zarqawi, Instapundit has a great round up of new media links.
UPDATE: if you care to watch Zarqawi’s demise, click here.