Give a frontiersman coffee and tobacco, and he will endure any privation, suffer any hardship, but let him be without these two necessaries of the woods, and he becomes irresolute and murmuring. ~ U.S. Army Lt. William Whiting, 1849

Outside The Beltway (James Joyner) Zarqawi Raid Made Possible by New Defense Technology — “That, despite 1991 technology still being more than good enough to defeat any feasible opponent, we have continued to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into getting even better is a testament to both our immense wealth and our high valuation on human life–both that of our military personnel and of non-combatants.”

WILLisms (Ken McCracken) 10 Goofy Thoughts About Zarqawi’s Death — “The ego defenses were in high gear yesterday, as cognitive dissonance set in among many on the left in the wake of Abu Musab Zarqawi’s death.

A virtual squirmfest of conspiracy-mongering, armchair quarterbacking and classic moobat dimthink ensued. A sight to behold.”

GOP Bloggers (Mark Noonan) Murtha Wants to be Majority Leader — “First, of course, the Democrats will have to get over that little thing called an election, but Murtha is eyeing a top job should the Democrats pull it off this November:”

Hot Air (Michelle Malkin) Vent: Zarqawi’s End