Out of the Spider-Hole

“We got the bastard”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3317429.stm. This is definitely a long-overdue cause for celebration.

The news is best for the people of Iraq, because whatever else happens there, the possibility that he would somehow bide his time and make a comeback (after a humiliating U.S. withdrawal) is now gone. Also — and it’s scary that I even have to say this — it’s encouraging that his capture _didn’t_ coincide with a convenient event on the American political calendar. The capture is also good news for U.S. forces, many of which may be able to leave a little earlier now and under less embarrassing circumstances.

The down side is that, judging from the conditions under which he was found, it doesn’t seem likely that he’s been coordinating any of the insurgent activity that’s been going on. Which means that _other_ people have, and they’re obviously still around — though it’s possible that Saddam’s capture will demoralize them into irrelevance. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Now then: Where the deuce is Bin Laden? And where has he been all this time? It’d be nice if this development got us back on the real program, but I’m not holding my breath.