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Another example of how we are safer under Bush.
NY TimesBAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 24 - The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives - used to demolish buildings, produce missile warheads and detonate nuclear weapons - are missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations.
The huge facility, called Al Qaqaa, was supposed to be under American military control but is now a no-man's land, still picked over by looters as recently as Saturday. United Nations weapons inspectors had monitored the explosives for many years, but White House and Pentagon officials acknowledge that the explosives vanished after the American invasion last year.
The White House said President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, was informed within the past month that the explosives were missing. It is unclear whether President Bush was informed. American officials have never publicly announced the disappearance, but beginning last week they answered questions about it posed by The New York Times and the CBS News program "60 Minutes."
American weapons experts say their immediate concern is that the explosives could be used in major bombing attacks against American or Iraqi forces: the explosives, mainly HMX and RDX, could be used to produce bombs strong enough to shatter airplanes or tear apart buildings. The bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 used less than a pound of the material of the type stolen from Al Qaqaa, and somewhat larger amounts were apparently used in the bombing of a housing complex in November 2003 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the blasts in a Moscow apartment complex in September 1999 that killed nearly 300 people......
Drudge on the radio tonight is telling listeners that this story was leaked by the Bush white house to remind people that there are dangers in Iraq and thus we need to keep the President in office. He sees it as something that has been leaked to the newspaper to help the Bush campaign!
From Josh Marshall...
Talking Points memoThe Times story treads lightly over the question of whether the explosives in question have played a substantial role in the various suicide bombings, car bombings and sundry other attacks in Iraq over the last year.
They also say little about Pentagon pressure on the Iraqis not to report the disappearance of the explosives to the IAEA.
In its place seems to be an administration version of events in which no one was put in charge of ascertaining what happened to the al Qa Qaa materials, then Iraqis mentioned it to Bremer in May but he seems not to have passed on word to anyone else, then Condi was told "within the past month" but it's not clear whether she told the president.
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Another example of how we are safer under Bush.
This is incompetence of the worst kind, and it's our soldiers in the field who are gonna pay the price. Dr. Rice and Douglas Feith should be fired immediately.
The John Kerry Campaign has issued a statement regarding the missing explosives...
Yahoo NewsPORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (AFP) - Democrat challenger John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign demanded answers from President George W. Bush (news - web sites) about the disappearance of nearly 400 tonnes of conventional explosives in Iraq (news - web sites), as the deadlocked White House race entered its final week.
AFP Photo
In a campaign underpinned by the basic question of who will make Americans safer, the Kerry camp pounced on revelations of the missing explosives, on a day when it also expects a boost from the return of former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) to the campaign trail.
"Today, the Bush administration must answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq," senior Kerry advisor Joe Lockhart said in a statement dispatched before sunrise.
"How did they fail to secure nearly 380 tons of known, deadly explosives despite clear warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency to do so? Why was this information unearthed by reporters -- and was it covered up by our national security officials?"
~snip~
Guess you could say that John Kerry was right when he said in the second debate..
The president did not do what was necessary. Didn't bring in enough nation. Didn't deliver the help. Didn't close off the borders. Didn't even guard the ammo dumps. And now our kids are being killed with ammos right out of that dump.
Isn't this a military failure? Why is it Bush's fault?
He put his faith in C. Rice and Douglas Feith to handle the security situation in Iraq despite their lack of experience in doing so. The Buck has to stop somewhere in this war.Isn't this a military failure? Why is it Bush's fault?
So every single wrong doing by everyone in this country is Bush's fault? I could see if it was a direct order that led to this failure or even an order or directive from a cabinet level position, but this is a military blunder. If the military is guarding something and it gets stolen then it's their fault.
What should be discerning is that the military was 'allowed' to secure the Iraqi Oil Ministry during the invasion, but important stuff like Iraq nuclear material and these weapon depots were left completely unguarded. The military does what politicians decide and securing these potential weapons obviously wasn't a high priority for the politicians.If the military is guarding something and it gets stolen then it's their fault.
Was Bush personally guarding this stuff? Was he sitting there at the gate of the compound with his shotgun? Then who was there? Was it the military? There are like 20 people that have the power to make the call on what should be guarded and how before the line of authority even leaves Iraq. Blaming Bush or even remotely implying that it's his fault is ridiculous. Gee, Kerry is a Congressman, why didn't he introduce a bill saying this stuff should be guarded. Find out who is directly at fault and then post that. Or let's see if there's an investigation at least.
I think whoever had the bright idea to invade Iraq to "secure" weapons and WMD technology is responsible.
So if a cop arrests a murderer and sends him to jail, and the murderer escapes and kills someone near the jail, it's the cop's fault? It's the mayor's fault? Or maybe it's the warden's fault, or even the jailer's?
Pretty much everyone but the original cop would be sued, if that helps you.So if a cop arrests a murderer and sends him to jail, and the murderer escapes and kills someone near the jail, it's the cop's fault? It's he mayor's fault? Or maybe it's the warden's fault, or even the jailer's?
Harry Truman said "The buck stops here."
What will W say?
I don't see how that cartoon bolsters your argument.
So it's only partly Bush's fault then?
Whose idea was this again?
Idea for what? Invading Iraq or not guarding the explosives?
Both, apparently. This is indeed why we went there, is it not?
So Bush said, "Don't guard those explosives!" Is that what you're saying? You are telling me Bush gave a direct order not to guard that stuff? How is it DIRECTLY his fault that this incident occured?
It's called resposibility. It's completely obvious that guarding 380 tons of explosives was not a priority. Who is ultimately responsible for the execution of this war and occupation? What is this war and occupation for if not for securing weapons?So Bush said, "Don't guard those explosives!" Is that what you're saying? You are telling me Bush gave a direct order not to guard that stuff? How is DIRECTLY his fault for this incident?
Chump, you don't get it. Bush is not responsible for anything bad that happens because it's someone else's fault.
W's in deep Qa Qaa
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