The death of Zarqawi
could be viewed as yet another "Top Gun" moment in Dubya's ill-planned war...
The "personalization" of the conflict is necessary to keep the public focused on some "evil one." And not focused on the fact that innocent people are dying everyday.
Indeed, if Zarqawi didn't exist we and the Insurgents might have to "invent him!" Consider;
The Luddites in Old England had a "fictional leader"... to wit: one, Ned Ludd, who always managed to "flee in the nick of time" just before the King's Men showed up with an arrest warrant...!
This, of course, keeps the "real leaders" of the rebellion as "just operatives" --and therefore less culpable in the eyes of the law!
Fictional leaders are very useful TO BOTH SIDES in any conflict
