I’m watching CSPAN right now with John Murtha (Surrender Monkey – PA) where he just asked the question, “What happened when we went after Zarqawi?”

Uh, Senator, did you happen to catch the news a week ago?

The drink that comforteth the brain and heart and helpeth digestion. ~ Sir Francis Bacon

TMH’s Bacon Bits (DL) GOP Base: Engaged or Enraged? — “The GOP leadership (gosh, that sounds so oxymoronic these days) has to decide whether its conservative base, that it has betrayed, is merely demoralized and apathetic, or angry as hell and energized to do the GOP real damage. Right now the RNC mindset is like that of the husband who forgot his anniversary and is trying to decide whether he can get by with carnations or if he has to dig deeper and spring for the long stem roses.”

Iowa Voice (Brian) Beginning Of The End For Al Qaeda In Iraq? — “Of course, only if we have leaders willing to stand up in defense of our national security and interests. If we pull out too soon, we could see the same thing as we saw after Vietnam: reluctance to defend our interests anywhere for any reason.”

PoliBlog (Dr. Steven Taylor) Delays on the Immigration Bill? — “Odd, I was unaware anyone who wasn’t under the influence had any “[h]opes of a quick compromise” on this issue. As such, this isn’t all that noteworthy. Indeed, I remain quite skeptical that there is going to be a compromise bill.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed “No Hospital Stay Will Slow Me Down” Morrissey) Zarqawi’s Thumb Drive Fingers Associates — “Coalition forces picked up quite a bit of intelligence after other captures, and we saw the effects in rapid raids and domino-style takedowns of small parts of the AQI network. When we hit the leader, it allowed the Iraqis and the US to get solid information on the entire network. We saw the effects of this when Coalition forces doubled their initial raid targets in the aftermath of Zarqawi’s demise, hitting 39 sites instead of the initial 17.”

Many people are like instant coffee: the minute they get in hot water they dissolve. ~ Unknown

OK. Let’s try this again. Another hour+ power outage here after an hour or two of searching for first cup items.

Wizbang (Jay Tea) Taking a shotgun to the illegal alien problem — “As far as I’m concerned, the root causes is an irrelevant issue. If someone is bleeding to death from a cut on their arm, how important is it to know if the injury was caused by a knife, a chain saw, an animal attack, or struck by a passing car? The most important thing is to stop the bleeding, THEN worry about the larger issues.”

Outside The Beltway (James Joyner) Castro: Zarqawi Raid a Barbarity — “This is rather amusing given Castro’s human rights record. While we obviously want to be better than him, this does not extend so far as to providing trials before killing enemies during wartime. Zarqawi was killed, not in retribution for his many attrocities, but because he was the leader of the most dangerous faction of the “insurgency” we are fighting.”

Blue Star Chronicles (Beth) Irey on Murtha: He Still Doesn’t Get It — “It seems that Murtha has a problem accepting the reliability of intellegence from Iraqi citizens that al-Zarqawi was killed in an air strike. But he’s willing to accept that kind of intellegence from ‘unnamed sources’ that our Marines are ‘cold blooded killers’.”

TMH’s Bacon Bits (The MaryHunter) DHS Now Accepting Fake IDs — “Get a load of this: (HT: Penelope) from today’s Washington Times we have this encouraging story of our Department of Homeland Security and it’s ultra-high-security system.”

Nancy Astor: “If I were your wife, I would put poison in your coffee.”
Sir Winston Churchill: “And if I were your husband, I would drink it.”

Sam Houston More Muslim Hypocrisy — “Kutty is very obviously just another hypocrite in a long line of Muslim hypocrites who manage to ignore reality when it conflicts with their personal prejudices. The “Muslim conscience” has a double standard second to none.”

Chicagoray One of Our Nations Finest Calls it Quits — “This one is a little bit different due to the fact he quietly and more than honorably served our country and that his little brother is very well known to all of us, not someone you might expect. But then again, from this family we’ve always gotten their best.”

It’s a slow Sunday morning, and I have a few things to do. I’ll try to add more later.

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

Following the air strike that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi yesterday, U.S. and coalition forces have conducted a number of raids against al-Qaida.

U.S. troops conducted nearly 40 raids Friday in Iraq, taking advantage of information gleaned from searches following Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s death, a military spokesman said, also revealing new information about the man believed poised to take the terror leader’s place.

[...]

Hours after the bombing, U.S. troops carried out 17 simultaneous raids Wednesday near Baqouba, the capital of Diyala province. The region is in the heartland of the Sunni Arab-led insurgency and has seen a recent rise in sectarian violence. Baqouba is 35 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Those raids provided the information leading to the searches overnight Thursday.

In the 39 raids, troops “picked up things like memory sticks, some hard drives” that would allow American forces to begin dismantling al-Zarqawi’s al-Qaida in Iraq, Caldwell told the British Broadcasting Corp.

He said the latest information was helping U.S. forces unravel the source of al-Qaida’s weapons and financing.

This has the potential of being very good news, providing intelligence that will aid efforts to root out the terrorists. In addition, the information on their weapons and financing will cause serious disruptions in their activities.

Make no mistake, this will not end their efforts. But it is a great victory.

Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love. ~ Talleyrand

ScrappleFace (Scott Ott) Democrats Vow to Fight On After Zarqawi Loss — “As Blackberry devices and cell phones on Capitol Hill hummed with news of the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi yesterday, Congressional Democrats vowed that despite the loss they would fight on in “the war on the war on terror.” ”

Hot Air (Michelle Malkin) Vent: Anti-American Idol Ehren Watada Video.

Wizbang (Jay Tea) This just in: Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is still dead — “Yes, the “Prince” is dead. Others may succeed him, but there will not likely be anyone to take his place. He was a canny exploiter of the media, a master manipulator of the latest forms of public relations. He carefully sculpted his public persona as the mighty Islamic warrior (certain blooper reels notwithstanding), and that image was irreparably shattered (along with Zarqawi himself) by a couple of 500-lb. bombs the other day.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) An Answer From Iran — “It’s hard to respect someone who lies and cheats on a constant basis, and in fact respect seems to be coming to Iran far ahead of schedule. If this incentive package works at all, it will be due to a healthy amount of disrespect as we insist on invasive verification procedures to ensure Iran doesn’t continue cheating. Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust but verify,” but he dealt with a rational enemy with a strong will to continue living. The messianic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has proven himself at least a non-rational leader, and his fiery rhetoric and fervent public belief in the apocalyptic return of the Twelfth Imam makes the “trust” part of Reagan’s Maxim a poor choice under any circumstances.”

Tony Snow is holding a press briefing now. DVR Blogging:

10:24: Yesterday around 3:30 (ET) several Congressional delegations had a meeting with the President regarding recent trips to Iraq. Ray Lahood (R-IL) told the President what would really be good would be for someone to “Get Zarqawi”

10:25: Around 3:45 (ET)National Security Advisor Steve Hadley recieved a phone call from Iraq and was informed that they thought they had al-Zarqawi. At 4:20 (ET) he (Hadley) got another phone call (while the President was still in the meeting).

10:26: At 4:35 (ET) President Bush was in the Oval Office with Vice-President Cheney, Sec. Rice, Hadley,and Josh Bolton. Hadley informed the President of two things. 1)That Iraq and completed filling their Cabinet. 2) That the strike had taken place and that Zarqawi was possibly among the victims. The President’s response: “That would be a good thing.”

10:27: At 9:20 (ET) Hadley received a phone call from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was informed that forensic evidence (scars, tatoos, and fingerprints) confirmed that it was Zarqawi. Following the call, Hadley informed the President.

at 6:45 (ET) this morning President Bush at a brief conversation with Tony Blair. He then spoke with the Iraqi PM until shortly before his appearance at 7:30 this morning.

That concluded the time-line update. I’m not going to relate all of the Q&A.

Michelle has some quotes from the Q&A here.

President Bush spoke from the Rose Garden around 7:30 EST. Here is what he said:

Good morning. Last night in Iraq, United States military forces killed the terrorist al Zarqawi. At 6:15 p.m. Baghdad time, special operation forces, acting on tips and intelligence from Iraqis, confirmed Zarqawi’s location, and delivered justice to the most wanted terrorist in Iraq.

Zarqawi was the operational commander of the terrorist movement in Iraq. He led a campaign of car bombings, assassinations and suicide attacks that has taken the lives of many American forces and thousands of innocent Iraqis. Osama bin Laden called this Jordanian terrorist “the prince of al Qaeda in Iraq.” He called on the terrorists around the world to listen to him and obey him. Zarqawi personally beheaded American hostages and other civilians in Iraq. He masterminded the destruction of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. He was responsible for the assassination of an American diplomat in Jordan, and the bombing of a hotel in Amman.

Through his every action, he sought to defeat America and our coalition partners, and turn Iraq into a safe haven from which al Qaeda could wage its war on free nations. To achieve these ends, he worked to divide Iraqis and incite civil war. And only last week he released an audio tape attacking Iraq’s elected leaders, and denouncing those advocating the end of sectarianism.

Now Zarqawi has met his end, and this violent man will never murder again. Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud of the men and women of our armed forces, who worked tirelessly with their Iraqi counterparts to track down this brutal terrorist and put him out of business.

The operation against Zarqawi was conducted with courage and professionalism by the finest military in the world. Coalition and Iraqi forces persevered through years of near misses and false leads, and they never gave up. Last night their persistence and determination were rewarded. On behalf of all Americans, I congratulate our troops on this remarkable achievement.

Zarqawi is dead, but the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues. We can expect the terrorists and insurgents to carry on without him. We can expect the sectarian violence to continue. Yet the ideology of terror has lost one of its most visible and aggressive leaders.

Zarqawi’s death is a severe blow to al Qaeda. It’s a victory in the global war on terror, and it is an opportunity for Iraq’s new government to turn the tide of this struggle. A few minutes ago I spoke to Prime Minister Maliki. I congratulated him on close collaboration between coalition and Iraqi forces that helped make this day possible. Iraq’s freely elected Prime Minister is determined to defeat our common enemies and bring security and the rule of law to all its people.

Earlier this morning he announced the completion of his cabinet appointments, with the naming of a new Minister of Defense, a new Minister of the Interior, and a new Minister of State for National Security. These new ministers are part of a democratic government that represents all Iraqis. They will play a vital role as the Iraqi government addresses its top priorities — reconciliation and reconstruction and putting an end to the kidnappings and beheadings and suicide bombings that plague the Iraqi people. I assured Prime Minister Maliki that he will have the full support of the United States of America.

On Monday I will meet with my national security team and other key members of my Cabinet at Camp David to discuss the way forward in Iraq. Our top diplomats and military commanders in Iraq will give me an assessment of recent changes in the political and economic and security situation on the ground. On Tuesday, Iraq’s new Ambassador to the United States will join us, and we will have a teleconference discussion with the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet. Together we will discuss how to best deploy America’s resources in Iraq and achieve our shared goal of an Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself.

We have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continued patience of the American people. Yet the developments of the last 24 hours give us renewed confidence in the final outcome of this struggle: the defeat of terrorism threats, and a more peaceful world for our children and grandchildren.

May God bless the Iraqi people and may God continue to bless America.

Some great and sometimes funny quotes and ledes regarding the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

• Palmetto Pundit: Others Blogging: Everyone with a blog and a working modem!
• Outside the Beltway (James Joyner): But killing the charismatic head of an organization tends to be quite disruptive.
• Vilainous Company: Al-Zarqawi Not Just Merely, But Quite Severely Dead
• Outside the Beltway (Rodney Dill): While James has posted a serious analysis and discussion on the death of Al-Zarqawi, this post will be dedicated to an irreverent post-mortem roasting (well the roasting part has probably started already) of the thug.
• Right Wing News: Zarqawi Is Now A Good Terrorist
• GOP and the City: He was identified by his blue eyes. One blew there…one blew there.

The powers of a man’s mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks. ~ Sir James Mackintosh

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Zarqawi Dead In Coalition Air Strike — “The elimination of Zarqawi and his henchmen will kneecap the foreign insurgency. Although the network will still exist, the loss of leadership and political connections will guarantee its rapid decline. What little command and control existed will disappear, and the funding channels that Zarqawi controlled with go with them. Cells will operate without any coordination at all, a problem already with the successes the Coalition and Iraq have achieved against the network. They will act all at once in response to this attack, but then should run out of gas quickly.”

Mark in Mexico Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Dead – Update II – CONFIRMED!!! — “What is most encouraging is that, after months of seemingly eternal wrangling, the Iraqi parliament, upon hearing the news of al-Zarqawi’s death, confirmed the last three cabinet posts; those of Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jassim, a Sunni Arab and former Iraqi army commander, as Defense Minister, Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite, as Interior Minister, and Sherwan Alwaeli, a Kurd, as the country’s top official for national security.

All in all, probably a bigger day for the Iraqi people than the day Saddam was captured or the day that his two maniac sons were killed.”

Michelle Malkin “ZARQAWI HAS BEEN KILLED” (VIDEO ADDED) — Her ususal outstanding collection of links and reports.

Ankle Biting Pundits (Bull Dog Pundit) Al-Zarqawi “Terminated” — “Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. This can’t be good news for many Democrats. How long before Howard Dean and some of the moonbats say “Well, we’re happy he’s dead, but……”?”

Wizbang (Talk Smack) Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi reportedly killed in bombing attack (Confirmed) — “Let’s clarify a couple of things. First, Al Zarqawi was the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. This could rightly be said to be the equivalent of Osama bin Laden. No, it is not Osama bin Laden, but it is an extremely important military victory for Iraq and the Coalition, in that order.

Also, this is not a left/right issue. This is a pro-victory/run-and-hide issue. Bullets do not discriminate on basis of race, gender, handicap, or anything else.”

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Breaking News via AP/Yahoo News:

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida-linked militant who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings in Iraq, has been killed in a U.S. air raid north of Baghdad, Iraq’s prime minister said Thursday.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zarqawi was killed Wednesday evening along with seven aides.

The Jordanian-born militant, who was believed to have personally beheaded at least two American hostages, became Iraq’s most wanted militant, as notorious as Osama bin Laden, to whom he swore allegiance in 2004. The United States had put a $25 million bounty on al-Zarqawi, the same as bin Laden.

More on this when I get up in a few hours.

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