Iraq Insurrection win streak: is it the coach or the team?

[Alpharetta]

When a dynasty is built, sometimes it's hard to tell whether it was the coach or the players who made the difference.

We'll never know if it was the Braves' stellar starting pitchers, their great pitching coach Leo Mazzone, or their General Manager John Schuerholz who made sure the Braves starters were the best in baseball.

Were the Bulls and then the Lakers possible without Zen master head coach Phil Jackson? Or was their success due to stars such as Michael Jordan and then Shaquille O'Neal?

With the demise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, we'll find out whether the resistance was due to personnel or leadership. Was it the leadership of Al Qaeda? Or was it the mistake the US made when they rushed to take Baghdad and bypassed the tens of thousands of Republican Guard Iraqi soldiers who went home with their rifles, bombs, and rocket propelled grenades.

Was Al Zarqawi a shrewed mastermind? Or can any two-bit low-life "religious" leader head this resistance?

Al Zarqawi was certainly on a win streak. He promised to chase off the United Nations. Done. Many countries withdrew their forces and support for the US-led occupation. The north oil pipeline is cut off. Iraq has a gasoline shortage because nobody can protect a refinery in Iraq. Iraq has power cutoffs. No professional sports. Schools shut down. Women hiding in veils. Police forces infiltrated, set up, and ambushed. Daily bombings. Thousands of US casualties. Rebuilding contracts unfulfilled.

The situation has gotten so bad, even FoxNews has stopped trying to say things are going great there, if only the media would show it. That's pretty bad. How much blame for that does Al Zarqawi deserve?

We in the US are all glad Al Zarqawi got the bomb. We'll soon find out whether he made much of a difference at all.

[Warren DeMontague]

1. "The resistance" is due to the fact that they don't WANT us there.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the answer is. Get the fuck out NOW.

[Teaser]

2. Zarqawi was a bit player who let his name get used

by all manner of bad actors, from sunni baathists trying to kill Shi'ah to the pentagon who needed a bogeyman. His base of support was always small.