Decapitating a Hydra (and other futile gestures)

Who says good news in the War Without End never gets coverage:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi and coalition forces have arrested the second most senior figure in al-Qaida in Iraq, Iraq's national security adviser announced on Sunday, saying the group now suffered from a "serious leadership crisis."

Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, known as Abu Humam or Abu Rana, was captured north of Baghdad a few days ago "along with another group of his aides and followers," Mouwafak al-Rubaie said.

He was the second most important al-Qaida in Iraq leader after Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who took over the group after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. air strike north of Baghdad on June 7, al-Rubaie said.

"We believe that al-Qaida in Iraq suffers from a serious leadership crisis. Our troops have dealt fatal and painful blows to this organization," the security adviser said.

Gosh, you think the war may be over soon? What happens when we finally 'nab' Osama, and Americans realize the jihad continues anyway? We are not fighting charasmatic leaders or even organizations so much as we are an ideology -- a nihilistic worldview that commands suicidal allegiance from any who fall under its sway. Unlike the organized state-sponsored warfare model, dominant since the 1600s, this is now war by self-declared franchise, and you can't neatly end such a fight with a simple decapitation strike.

We are treating the symptoms, not the problem. We enrage the world by killing large numbers of foot soldiers, while dealing only sporadically with their recruiters, financiers and cheerleaders. We amuse ourselves with video game warfare in the Middle East, while charasmatic voices raise the next generation of cannon fodder from within the ranks of our own children. Far from moving to block the poison, we invite its further, unchallenged spread.

All the firepower in the world can't save a civilization from a lack of moral conviction and clarity. Once you lose sight of your raison d'etre, it doesn't take long before you cease to "etre."