And then there's this....

WASHINGTON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network of al Qaeda-linked insurgents is emerging as a self-sustaining force, despite repeated blows by U.S. forces and the reported death of his second-in-command, U.S. intelligence officials and other experts say.

The Zarqawi network, responsible for some of the Iraqi insurgency's bloodiest attacks, has grown into a loose confederation of mainly native Iraqis trained by former Baath Party regime officers in explosives, small arms, rockets and surface-to-air missiles.

Since U.S. counter-insurgency assaults forced many of its operatives to exit Iraq's cities, counterterrorism officials say al Qaeda has been trying to set up a safe haven for training and command operations in western Anbar province.

"The suggestion is that this has shifted from being a terrorist network to a guerrilla army," said Vali Nasr, a national security affairs expert at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

"If this were not checked, the insurgents would become not only militarily more powerful, but politically more powerful. We're definitely trying to deny that milestone to Zarqawi."

And what's the definitional difference between being a terrorist network and a guerilla army? A terrorist network represents only a small faction of the population, whereas a guerilla army generally enjoys far broader political and logistical support of the local population. So.......

In the battle for public opinion, the relative tactics of the US army, Fallujah and Tal Afar in the extreme example, and Zarqawi, suicide bombers blowing up civilians in a market in the extreme example, Iraqis are generally trending to support the suicide bombers.

What does that say?