Zarqawi Helped U.S. Argument That Al-Qaeda Network Was in Iraq

Old Zarq was one of the best friends this admnistration has ever had, besides Osama. He was accused of blowing up the U.N. building, effectively removing prying international eyes from Iraq, when Bush had made it clear that he did not want anyone but coalition forces in Iraq.

He beheaded Nick Berg just in the nick of time, as the Abu Ghraib revelations were shocking and sickening the nation.

Even in death, he manged to remain a Bushite savior, in the face of Haditha revelations.

Hard to say what Bush will do without him.

Hey, I though I heard Rummy say that these Al Qaeda types are media and politically savvy.

Zarqawi Helped U.S. Argument That Al-Qaeda Network Was in Iraq:

"From the moment President Bush introduced him to the American people in October 2002, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi served a crucial purpose for the administration, providing a tangible focus for its insistence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network responsible for the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

After the invasion that toppled Hussein, and the subsequent rise of the insurgency against occupying U.S. forces, Zarqawi's presence in Iraq was cited as proof that the uprising was fomented by al-Qaeda-backed 'foreign fighters.'

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld described Zarqawi as 'the leading terrorist in Iraq and one of three senior al-Qaeda leaders worldwide.'

In addition to his indisputably prominent role in the Iraqi insurgency, Zarqawi was always a useful source of propaganda for the administration. Magnification of his role and of the threat he posed grew to the point that some senior intelligence officers believed it was counterproductive."