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Before they gloated, they let Zarqawi go. A few hours have passed and already the triumphalism of Zarqawi's death as a milestone in the War on Terra has been accepted as bedrock media narrative.

Too bad that before they got him they let him go, as noted by Kevin Drum, writing in March 2004:

In June 2002...the Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp [but]....the plan was debated to death in the National Security Council....The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White House again killed it....The Pentagon drew up still another attack plan, and for the third time, the National Security Council killed it.

Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

Unlike Saddam, Zarqawi really was developing poisons such as ricin and cyanide for use in terrorist attacks in the West and elsewhere. But we hesitated to take action because destroying the Ansar al-Islam camps might have been inconvenient for George Bush's speechwriters.

Zarqawi has reportedly killed at least 700 people since then. But it might be many more. We will probably never know for sure how many people died at his hands because of George Bush's uncertainty in the face of danger.

Will you hear that on CNN or NPR?

The only media talking head who has a chance of getting this story right is Jon Stewart, now that farce has officially eclipsed journalism in the USA.

{ 9:13 AM }

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