Ok, Zarqarwi is Dead - Can we go home now?

The Mission is Accomplished. Again.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose bloody campaign of beheadings and suicide bombings made him the most-wanted terrorist in
Iraq, was killed when U.S. warplanes dropped 500-pound bombs on his isolated safe house, officials said Thursday. His death was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

The targeted airstrike Wednesday evening was the culmination of a two-week-long hunt for al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. Tips from senior militants led U.S. forces to follow al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser to the safe house, 30 miles outside Baghdad, for a meeting with the terror leader. The adviser, Sheik Abdul Rahman, was among seven aides also killed.

Two weeks? They only decided two weeks ago that al-Zarqawi needed some right fine killin'?
Just what nitwit us running things around here... Oh yeah - that one, never mind.

Already there are optimistic reports that this victory will give Bush a much needed bounce and deflate the prospects of the insurgency.

And certainly there is some legitimate credit due for finally killing the man that the Bush Administration let escape before the war, and who actually had been captured just before he was mistakenly released by the that Fine fresh New Iraqi Puppet Regime Demo(lition)ocracy we've managed to plaster together like a mismatched set of Legos(tm) and an Erector Set in Bahgdad.

Yay, for our side.

Can we bring our troops home now?

I know the President doesn't want to set "Timetables", he want to let the "Facts on the ground" dictate our troop deployment. But already, just hours after the news of Zarqawi's most excellent death the question is being asked.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has cautioned against expecting that the killing of Al-Qaeda's chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, would lead to a quick change in US troop levels in that country.

"The death of Zarqawi does not change overnight the situation," said spokesman Tony Snow. "Nobody expects a snap change."

Oh, let's get serious please. Nobody expects any change what-so-ever. It doesn't matter that we've supposedly trained almost twice as many Iraqi troops as the America Deployment.
We've got new troops already on their way for their next rotation.

PENTAGON A defense official says an Army brigade whose deployment to Iraq was put on hold just last month is now scheduled to be sent there this summer.

When the Pentagon announced the unit would not begin its deployment to Iraq as scheduled, it triggered talk that a U-S troop cut might be in the offing. But it now appears American commanders are sticking largely to their original plan for early summer rotations. And that leaves unclear when and if a sizable reduction in troop levels will begin this year.

Now with a simple search for "iraqi army" on Yahoo I can find a ton of reports on how the Iraqis are finally being rotated in to replace American Soldiers -- it's just that those reports seem eerily similar to me.

1. Iraqi army takes over from US in rebellious area
   Reuters via Yahoo! News - Jun 06 7:05 AM
   An Iraqi army division has taken over from U.S. forces in patrolling an area in Anbar province, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, the first transfer on that level in the western heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency.
   
2. Iraqi army takes responsibility over part of restive Anbar from US
   Fort Wayne News Channel 15 - Jun 07 4:22 AM
   BAGHDAD, Iraq The U-S military command has officially handed over responsibility for patrolling a volatile part of Iraq to an Iraqi army unit.
   
3. Iraqi army takes responsibility over part of restive Anbar from US
   KRIS-TV Corpus Christi - Jun 06 6:57 PM
   BAGHDAD, Iraq The U-S military command has officially handed over responsibility for patrolling a volatile part of Iraq to an Iraqi army unit. Iraq's First Army Division is...
   
4. Iraqi army takes responsibility over part of restive Anbar from US
   KXLY-TV Spokane - Jun 06 4:28 PM
   BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- The US military command has officially handed over responsibility for patrolling a volatile part of Iraq to an Iraqi army unit. Iraq's First Army Division is now in control of security for an area in the Sunni Arab province of Anbar, between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.
   
5. Iraqi army takes over in Anbar
   News Interactive - Jun 06 1:22 PM
   AN Iraqi army division has taken over from US forces in patrolling an area in Anbar province, the US military said today, the first transfer on that level in the western heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency.
   
6. Iraqi army takes over from US in rebellious area
   RedNova - Jun 06 9:11 AM
   BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi army division has taken over from U.S. forces in patrolling an area in Anbar province, the U.S.
   
7. Iraqi army takes responsibility over part of restive Anbar from US
   KBCI Boise - Jun 06 12:20 PM
   BAGHDAD, Iraq The U-S military command has officially handed over responsibility for patrolling a volatile part of Iraq to an Iraqi army unit. Iraq's First Army Division is now in control of security for an area in the Sunni Arab province of Anbar, between the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah.

Is it just me or that look exactly like one of Bush's Astro-Turfing Campaigns in full swing? Again, this is good news - it's what I think should have been happening for -- well, three fucking years now.

The real question is - will it change anything?

I severly doubt it, because why should the Bush Administration completely change their spots by actually doing the right thing rather than continue to manipulate the war on terror for political gain and let their next October surprise out of the bag before it can totally undermine the Democrats this November?

Not a chance.

Vyan