New York TImes Standing-Up for Zarqawi's Self Esteem

Why is the New York Times bothering to discredit the video showing Zarqawi as a bumbling soldier in New Balance shoes?

Not All See Video Mockery of Zarqawi as Good Strategy - New York Times: "The weapon in question is complicated to master, and American soldiers and marines undergo many days of training to achieve the most basic competence with it. Moreover, the weapon in Mr. Zarqawi's hands was an older variant, which makes its malfunctioning unsurprising. The veterans said Mr. Zarqawi, who had spent his years as a terrorist surrounded by simpler weapons of Soviet design, could hardly have been expected to know how to handle it."