Don't try to get bigger than the Capo...

I was kinda wondering about this. One thing I know about cops, and I'm sure it applies to intelligence agents as well, is that most of 'em couldn't track a muddy puppy across a kitchen floor. They'd never solve anything without snitches. I knew Zarqawi got snitched off, the only question was by whom?

Yahoo! News

Al-Qaida leaders sold out Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to the United States in exchange for a promise to let up in the search for Osama bin Laden, the slain militant's wife claimed in an interview with an Italian newspaper.

The woman, identified by La Repubblica as al-Zarqawi's first wife, said al-Qaida's top leadership reached a deal with U.S. intelligence because al-Zarqawi had become too powerful. She claimed Sunni tribes and Jordanian secret services mediated the deal.

On Monday, an Iraqi legislator said authorities found telephone numbers of senior officials in al-Zarqawi's cell phone after his death. Waiel Abdul-Latif, a member of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's party, did not give names of the officials. But he said they included ministry employees and members of parliament.

He called for an investigation, saying Iraqis "cannot have one hand with the government and another with the terrorists."

Oh, but they do, of that I'm certain.

I don't know if the story is true, but it's definitely plausible. It's comforting to know that our intelligence service is working so closely with al-Quaeda in pursuit of common goals.

Update:

NYTimes

C.I.A. Closes Unit Focused on Capture of bin Laden

It happened last year, but the info just came out. They must have been getting close enough to OBL that the Saudis told Bush to back off. Common goals.