By Rachel Clarke
BBC News Online in Washington
New York's Daily News told the story in its front-page: A photo of Saddam Hussein flanked by his two sons, large red crosses placed over Uday and Qusay, and the headline declared: "One to go".
There were no words of sorrow or regret in the major newspapers about the fate of Saddam Hussein's sons labelled the "Brothers Grim" by several writers.
US papers hope Saddam's fate will soon be that of his sons
But while some editorials called for outright celebration, others cautioned that the work in Iraq was not yet done.
The Daily News led the cheerleading section, comparing the "sensational Mosul raid" to the bombing run over Tokyo in 1942 led by Jimmy Doolittle which gave new heart to Americans four months after the Pearl Harbour attacks.
Its editorial said it was "morale-boosting evidence that Americans are can-do types when there's a job to be done and a point to be made".
And the impact of the deaths was clear, the paper said. "Fewer of the liberators will be going home in body bags. Knocking out Uday and Qusay... demonstrated to many an Iraqi that we are the good guys there."
The Chicago Sun-Times said the fate of Uday and Qusay should be "a reminder to ourselves that we are fighting a worthwhile and just cause".
"Justice, in a world sadly lacking justice, has been done to these butchers. Saddam is next," it said.
The paper added: "We should also note that the two most notorious men in Iraq after Saddam managed to elude tens of thousands of US troops for nearly three months.
"Imagine then how much easier it would be to hide weapons of mass destruction, bland cylinders that can be buried in remote locations."
The continuing questions about the reasons for war, claims that uranium was sought and the absence so far of any finds of weapons of mass destruction irked the Washington Times.
But it said the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons could be a turning point, not just for the remnants of the old regime in Iraq but also for the "growing band of anti-Bush irregulars here in Washington".
"Yesterday in Mosul, not only were the lives of Uday and Qusay extinguished, but also extinguished, we suspect, was Washington's silly season of phoney scandal-mongering," its editorial said.
That may be a little premature. In its front-page news coverage, the Washington Post ran the deaths of Uday and Qusay as its main story, but also gave prominence to the admission by a senior White House aide that the CIA had told him repeatedly about concerns of the truth of the claims that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger which Mr Bush used in his State of the Union speech.
Its coverage noted the new information "significantly alters the explanation previously offered by the White House". It said the admission "punctured" earlier claims and would give new material for Democrats and others who wish to challenge President Bush.
The Post's editorial said the operation against Saddam Hussein's heirs was "very good news indeed".
But it looked beyond the military success to the political future of Iraq and called for more action by the White House.
"The time for making the post-war administration work is running short," it said. "Yesterday's success ought to be the cue for broadening and accelerating the effort."
The New York Times concurred. While celebrating the demise of "Brothers Grim", it said: "Much more than the capture of Saddam Hussein is needed to turn around what has so far been a tense and troubled occupation.
"Electricity and other vital services have to be restored on a round-the-clock basis throughout Iraq. Reliable Iraqi police and security services need to be trained and vetted, new jobs found for the unemployed, and the oil industry restored to full production."
The Los Angeles Times urged the Bush administration not to risk alienating Iraqis by gloating over the deaths and the role of US troops, and noted that other wanted men remain at large, including al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and Saddam Hussein itself.
USA Today summed up such fears. "Of course, Tuesday's news falls that one card short of the ultimate prize," it said.
"As long as Saddam is unaccounted for and is assumed to be alive, his spectre will haunt US progress in stabilising and ultimately democratising Iraq."