Buried in a story of gloom and doom....

....is good news.

With crucial national elections only two days away, Iraqi officials announced the arrests of three more purported lieutenants of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, including the Jordanian terror mastermind's military adviser and chief of operations in Baghdad.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told reporters that U.S. and Iraqi authorities were closing in on al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq who is believed responsible for many of the car-bombings, kidnappings and decapitations of foreigners in Iraq.

The beat goes on. One by one the network is collapsing and its leaders are sitting in prison.

I suspect, after the elections are over, the new Iraqi government will not deal kindly with these murderers and thugs.