Footnote to the preceding, What Luck! Div.

Despite all the sunny assurances, things aren't going well in Iraq, as we all know. Violent attacks continue, the government is still in disarray, the Iraqi security forces are brutal where they're not incompetent, corruption is rife. What we need is a good pick-me-up. And damn! if wishes don't come true, as AP let us know on Tuesday.

U.S.-led forces have recovered a letter that appeared to be addressed to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi complaining about low morale among his followers and the incompetence of leaders in his terror network, the military said Tuesday. ...

The military said it was written by Abu Asim al-Qusaymi al-Yemeni, whom they identified as a member of Al-Qaida in the Land Between the Two Rivers, one of the former names used by al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaida in Iraq terror group. The letter's authenticity could not be independently confirmed. ...

The letter advocates jihad, or holy war, and praises "the sheik" for being "a thorn in the mouth of the Americans," the military said. But it also described low morale, weakening support for the insurgency and the incompetence of many militant leaders, the statement said. The author also reportedly admonishes "the sheik" for abandoning his followers since Fallujah - an insurgent stronghold that was the subject of a major U.S.-led assault in November.

Now, who else here remembers another fortunate discovery of a letter at a moment when things were looking dismal for the home team? It was in early February a year ago, and in that case the letter was supposedly one from Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden, asking for help in the resistance to the occupation. After praising US resolve and bemoaning his lack of support among the Iraqi people, Zarqawi supposedly declared

We can pack up and leave and look for another land, just like what has happened in so many lands of jihad. Our enemy is growing stronger day after day, and its intelligence information increases. By God, this is suffocation!

"By God, what this is, is a bloody Coalition Provisional Authority press release," I said at the time. I also said, and I say again here about this purported letter, I don't know if it's genuine or not but I do know that it's damned convenient.