I predicted Zarqawi would win the Iraq war for us through his brutality long before it became evident he had made a mistake in his bombings. The man is a bloody nightmare, and now it is more and more clear Islam is not ready for his version of the future:

Amid the continuing bloodshed in Iraq, there is evidence of fresh thinking. The change is, ironically, brought about by Abu Musab Zarqawi himself, whose indiscriminate terrorism appears to have succeeded in uniting people there against his global jihad ideology. Since the hotel bombings in Zarqawi’s native Jordan, more and more Sunni Iraqis and Arabs have condemned the terrorist leader’s nightmarish vision for their societies — one that promises further “catastrophic” suicide attacks.
…
Now that the holy warriors are waging their struggle in the heart of the Muslim community, or ummah — in shopping centers, residential compounds, hotels and restaurants — Muslims are getting a closer look at the terrorists’ lack of respect for life, and most don’t like what they see. Some of the protesters in Amman carried placards asking simply “Why?” Why would Zarqawi target their country, where so many people had supported his jihad in Iraq? In a survey of more than 1,000 Jordanians conducted for the newspaper al-Ghad, more than 87 percent of the respondents said they now considered al Qaeda a terrorist organization. (In previous surveys in Jordan, al Qaeda had enjoyed approval ratings of upwards of 60 percent.)

And the only answer from the anti-war crowd is retreat? I would say right now the time is to forge ahead and win this battle.

Cross posted at No End But Victory