Saddam's capture a goal, not an end

[durutti]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3709919/

With the capture of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s fugitive dictator, Bush administration officials permitted themselves a moment of celebration but were being very cautious about making predictions about the impact of the achievement on the violent insurgency. Mindful of the overly rosy prognosis many issued after Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusai, were killed by the 101st Airborne Division in July, there appears to be a determination this time not to raise expectations too high.

“We obviously are thrilled at this, and yes, we consider him the ‘head’ of the beast and hope his capture demoralizes those resisting coalition troops,” a defense official told MSNBC.com early Sunday. “But we can’t say it’s over. There are others out there, and more to this fight than just Saddam.”

Still, Saddam’s capture, which followed eight months of mystery about his whereabouts, was bound to be viewed as a major accomplishment by both the political and military officials running the occupation.