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Many of my friends are young/uneducated enough so that they still work (miserably) at fast food restaurants or other low-paying unrewarding locations. But today, after reading that yet another top-ranking al Qaeda official has been arrested, I think I've decided what the world's worst job is.
I'm sure that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was very proud of his prestigious position within the ranks of a right-wing religious group. But I wonder what went through his head when he found out that he was about to become the head of the organization. He knew that this meant an automatic place at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted list, and he knew that his fate was unlikely to be much different from that of Abu Zubaydah (captured in 2002), Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (captured in 2003), Abu Faraj al-Libbi (captured in 2005), and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (killed in 2006). I can't imagine how depressing it must be to constantly have to look over your shoulder until, one day, you end up just being caught. We actually heard reports about his possible death about a year ago… how do you think it would feel to have people rejoicing at your death? Is he proud? Is he depressed?
He must have known what was coming to him, as did everybody around him. I wonder if, knowing what the future holds, anybody ever turns down positions like this one. Was al-Masri the top candidate or did he just get the job because some other guy didn't want to deal with the stress? Now that he's caught, does that mean that others will be "applying" for the job or will somebody be forced to become a de facto leader? And, most importantly, now that coalition forces have caught another top-ranking al-Qaeda leader, does this mean that the war might finally be ending?
Interestingly enough, today is also the 5th anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech.
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