Will Madelleine Albright Claim We Had Him All Along?

Will Howard Dean claim that the capture was politically timed?
Whatever, the word is that we are very, very close to capturing that terrorist piece of shit, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"They came very close to capturing him," one of the Kurdish officials said. "They had never been this close previously, and it means that the new intelligence they're gathering is much better than before."

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, would not say where and when the raids took place.

Al-Zarqawi's close calls are one sign that his militant network in Iraq has sustained serious losses and may be unraveling. Since early this month, Iraqi and U.S. forces have carried out a series of little-noticed raids in Baghdad, Mosul and other areas that led to the killing or capture of at least eight al-Zarqawi operatives.

The recent arrests followed the capture of one of al-Zarqawi's top lieutenants, Abu Omar al-Kurdi, in a Jan. 15 raid in Baghdad. Al-Kurdi has provided detailed information about his boss' movements, hiding places and communication methods, according to the intelligence officials.

"Al-Kurdi opened the door to more arrests," one of the officials said. "He has given valuable intelligence about security arrangements for al-Zarqawi and others in the terrorist network."