Early AP dispatches from the press conference Nouri al-Maliki held this morning to announce the death of Zarqawi said these words were “drawing loud applause from reporters” there.
That didn’t sound typical, and NBC’s Richard Engel was more precise on Today this morning: “Iraqi reporters cheered.” American reporters don’t cheer American victories. They suggest this won’t mean much in the long run.
NBC’s Special Report around the president’s remarks (airing in time zones too early for Today) included analysis from Tim Russert — in reality and in tone, the Democratic response. Russert threw several pitchers of cold water on the good news, saying people should remember the euphoria after capturing Saddam Hussein, and things didn’t change much.