Zarqawi demoted, Saddam lives on

Apparently the frost is off the pumpkin:

According to Huthayfah Azzam, the son of Abdullah Azzam, al-Zarqawi’s former mentor, the notorious commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq was stripped of his political duties at a meeting two weeks ago.

He should be relieved that he won't have to wear that bulky suicide vest to bed anymore. But keep in mind, we've been told the following about this guy--

> he lost a leg in Afghanistan
> he was killed by the Coalition, twice
> he was captured and released by the Iraqis
> he was chased into the hills
> he was the main leader of the Iraq insurgency

Some of his notorious accomplishments are highlighted in the article, such as his attack on the wedding party in Amman that led to a huge anti-terror backlash march. Coalition big-wigs also linked him to the Golden Mosque bombing. You can't say he doesn't lead an exciting life.

We've been led to believe he was the leader of the insurgency, however the following statement doesn't quite fit that mold:

“The Iraqi resistance high command asked al-Zarqawi to give up his political role and replaced him with an Iraqi because of several mistakes,” said Mr Azzam in an interview with al-Arabiya, the Arabic news channel. “Al-Zarqawi’s role has been limited to military action,” he said.

The 'high command' implies there has always been something higher than Z-man.

Prudence would suggest patience, since this could be yet another stunt. But it's hard to brush aside all his public foupas. Personally I think the gig was up after the royal Jordanian wedding party screw-up. I think he's been a loose-cannon operative all along, working at the behest of the Saddamists. Perhaps the time was right to remove the word 'useful' from his personnel folder labeled 'useful idiot'.

The more important point should be an understanding what this sea change means. If we take the recent releases of both Jill Carroll and the CPT fellas in context with this story about Zarqawi being busted down to a private, it suggests something important in the Sunni insurgent strategy. Add to that the upcoming meetings between Khalilzad and the Iranians and we have quite an evolving mystery.


Meanwhile, good news for Saddam,

Apparently the previous threat about swift justice was just that...

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Tuesday he expected the special tribunal hearing the cases would hear all of them before rendering a verdict in any.

"I believe the court is working on a plan whereby he will be tried for all the crimes then a verdict will be handed down," he said.

Such a thing might make Milosovic's trial seem like a preliminary hearing by comparison.

THE CHARGES 4/4/06

This recent proclamation might sound confusing, since last we heard Saddam could face the noose after a guilty verdict in the first case. But the government has apparently been consistent on this from the beginning.

Holding a few more trials may actually be mandatory to keep the peace. Saddam's defining moment and his reputation as 'the Butcher' came about due to Halabja, so shuttling him off to Allah after only one trial for crimes against Shias might seriously anger some folks in the north. This WaPo column seems to confirm it:

Some Iraqi politicians have expressed concern that Hussein could be convicted and hanged for the Dujail crimes before the other cases against him are heard. Justice Minister Abdul Hussein Shandal Issa said in an interview that the court might delay handing down any sentences until all trials are completed. Once a sentence is issued and a final appeal is finished, the punishment must be carried out within 30 days.

The risk from waiting until all trials are completed to carry out sentencing is 'Saddam fatigue', where the process drags on so long people just forget about it.

KNOW THINE ENEMY 4/6/06

The US Military is making hay over the capture of terror thug Abu Ayman in Baghdad today. Same ole same ole, right? Maybe not. If we get past the obligatory ties to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the story shines some light on the true enemy we face:

He was also an aide to the chief of staff of intelligence during Saddam Hussein's regime, the U.S. statement said.

Little by little we're seeing that the fabric of the insurgency is woven with Ba'athists. But this is not news to those who've been paying attention:

Meanwhile, on the jihadi forum al-Farouq (www.al-farouq.com), a posting dated October 2 defined much of the Islamist opposition in Iraq, conversely, as "Ba'athism in the cloak of religion." The author, signing himself sarcastically "the Degenerate, Base Salafist," describes how the present Sunni religious violence dates back to the era of Saddam Hussein.