The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, may be no more the war-ending event than was the capture of Saddam Hussein or the killing of his sons - two earlier American military victories much trumpeted at the time as turning points.
But the demise of the chief spokesman and promoter for sectarian strife in Iraq, in a precise US military operation Wednesday, nevertheless provides the Bush administration some much-needed good news in a conflict that in recent weeks had only seemed to be deteriorating. Just how the US might capitalize on what is both a tactical and psychological victory is sure to figure in discussions at Camp David Monday when President Bush meets with his national security team in a two-day session on Iraq.