Transcript from McClellan's press gaggle today. The missing explosives

[milkyway]

story has his head tied up in knots. And hopefully in the next day or two the mainstream media will pick up on the coverup and start asking about that also.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/10/20041025-1.html

<snip>
Q When did the President find out?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's why I said, we were informed on October 15th. Condi Rice was informed days after that. This is all in the last, what, 10 days now.

Q She was informed days after October 15th?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, and she informed the President. And the first priority, from our standpoint, was to make sure that this wasn't a nuclear proliferation risk, which it is not. These are conventional high explosives that we are talking about. And the President wants to make sure that we get to the bottom of this. Now, the Pentagon, upon learning of this, directed the multinational forces and the Iraqi survey group to look into this matter, and that's what they are currently doing.
<snip>

Q But you're saying this is the responsibility of the Iraqi forces. But this was our responsibility until just recently, isn't that right? Weren't these -- there is some U.S. culpability, as far as --

MR. McCLELLAN: You're trying -- I think you're taking this out of context of what was going on. This was reported missing after -- when the interim government informed that these munitions went missing some time after April 9th of 2003, remember, that was when we were still involved in major military action at that point. And there were a number of important priorities at that point. There were munitions, munition caches spread throughout Iraq. There were -- there was a concern that there would be massive refugees fleeing the country. There is concern about the devastation that could occur to the oil fields. There was concern about starvation that could happen for the Iraqi people.

So -- and obviously there is an effort to go and secure these sites. The Department of Defense can talk to you about -- because they did go in and look at this site and look to see whether or not there were weapons of mass destruction there. So you need to talk to Department of Defense, because I think that would clarify that for you and set that record straight.

<more>

[wtmusic]

1. Scott -- seems a little -- tonguetied

spit it out Scotty! W fucked up! :D

[Kierkegaard]

24. Um...errr...ah, well there were priorities!

Yeah, but 380 tons of high explosives didn't make the list. Can I get a look at that list???

[Streetdoc270]

2. Interesting

That he puts damage to the Oil fields ahead of securing tons of explosives that could be given to Terriorists....

[benddem]

16. they didn't even protect the oil fields

they protected the oil ministry...a building.

[Longhorn]

3. What a liar!

we were informed on October 15th. Condi Rice was informed days after that. . .and she informed the President.

Kind of going around in circles, isn't he? Who informed who?

[maryallen]

30. APRIL 9, 2003 -- more accurate date

From the transcript:

MR. McCLELLAN: "You're trying -- I think you're taking this out of context of what was going on. This was reported missing after -- when the interim government informed that these munitions went missing some time after April 9th of 2003, remember, that was when we were still involved in major military action at that point. And there were a number of important priorities at that point. There were munitions, munition caches spread throughout Iraq. There were -- there was a concern that there would be massive refugees fleeing the country. There is concern about the devastation that could occur to the oil fields. There was concern about starvation that could happen for the Iraqi people."

[DELUSIONAL]

4. October of 2003 ---- bush was informed??

Seems like they have yet another series of lies to remember -- and track.

What else are these fools hiding???

[milkyway]

6. No, they mean October 15, 2004. What a laugh! They are going to get

hung by this. See Josh Marshall's initial two reports on this yesterday. We're going to spend the week talking about a bush coverup of a fuck-up that resulted in dead American soldiers and who knows what else.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_10_24.php#003777

[DELUSIONAL]

9. That's what I thought they might be claiming

but they must have known long before THIS month -- they had to have known in 03. And I'll bet there is (or was) a paper trail implicating the road side bombings as traced to the 350 tons of explosives.

There is no way that I believe these idiots didn't know long ago that the explosives were missing -- I'll bet the creeps are busy scrubbing the record right now.

What incompetent fools! And people still support this bunch???

[milkyway]

10. Check out this from the AP that I just posted. Completely contradicts

bush admin spin on this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x931450

[DELUSIONAL]

35. Interesting observations at the DU link

Makes me wonder about how the stuff was moved -- trucks?? Seems to me that the US military was busy blowing up cars of Iraqi families -- but I don't remember reading about a truck being shot up and then exploding at a check point.

Moving that much stuff out a bit at a time -- might have been spotted -- but convoys of trucks was missed??

Then again I remember reading a story by a reporter who interviewed the resistance fighters -- Generals in the old Iraqi army. They would know how to organize a convoy -- who knows perhaps some of these Generals were trained by the US????

There are a lot of questions that need answering -- 380 tons -- well this would be 380 pickup loads. Most pick-ups can handle a ton. That is a hell of a lot coming and going 380 trips -- unloaded one way and heavily loaded the other way. Larger trucks can haul much more -- but that still means a lot of trips.

[AIJ Alom]

5. Scott slipped. Should have pleaded the fifth.

[sandnsea]

7. hmmm... oil... weapons...

oil.. weapons... Why'd we go into Iraq again?

[stevedeshazer]

8. Sweet Jesus, read the whole thing!

I've never read such doublespeak.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
<snip>

Q She was informed days after October 15th? (referring to Rice - SD)

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, and she informed the President. And the first priority, from our standpoint, was to make sure that this wasn't a nuclear proliferation risk, which it is not. These are conventional high explosives that we are talking about. And the President wants to make sure that we get to the bottom of this. (*splork*} Now, the Pentagon, upon learning of this, directed the multinational forces and the Iraqi survey group to look into this matter, and that's what they are currently doing.

Now, if you go back and look at the Duelfer report that recently has come out, according to the Duelfer report, as of mid-September, more than 243,000 tons of munitions have been destroyed since Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coalition forces have cleared and reviewed a total of 10,033 caches of munitions; another nearly 163,000 tons of munitions have been secured and are on line to be destroyed. That puts this all -- that puts this all in context.

Q Prior to the 10th, and the notification by the interim government, whose responsibility was it to keep track of these munitions, the IAEA or the multinational force in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you need to look at the time. I think the Department of Defense can probably answer a lot of these questions for you. But that's why I pointed out what we did to -- literally, there were munitions caches spread throughout Iraq at the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That's why I pointed out the large volume of munitions that have already been destroyed and the large volume that are on-line to be destroyed. The sites now are the responsibility of the Iraqi government to secure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Not good, Bushco. Not good enough.

[tblue37]

32. Yeah, right--

"And the President wants to make sure that we get to the bottom of this. . . ."

Yeah, like he wanted to make sure we got to the bottom of the Plame outing. When he wants to get to the bottom of something, it gets buried, but fast.

[stevedeshazer]

33. That's a black hole

The list of things the pResident is going to get to the bottom of.

Like the political gutter.

[msmcghee]

11. I think they've really stepped in the Qaqaa now. n/t

[seemslikeadream]

12. Timeline on missing explosives in Iraq

By Associated Press, 10/25/2004 16:24


1991: The International Atomic Energy Agency placed a seal over storage bunkers holding conventional explosives known as HMX and RDX at the Al-Qaqaa facility south of Baghdad as part of U.N. sanctions that ordered the dismantlement of Iraq's nuclear program after the Gulf War. HMX is a ''dual use'' substance powerful enough to ignite the fissile material in an atomic bomb and set off a nuclear chain reaction.

January 2003: IAEA inspectors viewed the explosives at Al-Qaqaa for the last time. The inspectors took an inventory and again placed storage bunkers at Al-Qaqaa under agency seal.

February 2003: IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei told the United Nations that Iraq had declared that ''HMX previously under IAEA seal had been transferred for use in the production of industrial explosives.'' This apparently did not include the HMX that remained under seal at Al-Qaqaa.

March 2003: Nuclear agency inspectors visited Al-Qaqaa for the last time but did not examine the explosives because the seals were not broken. The inspectors then pulled out of the country.

March 2003: The U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq.

more
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/299/world/Timeline_on_missing_explosives:.shtml

[milkyway]

13. And this according to the AP:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x931450

McClellan told a bold-faced lie, and they are stuck with it. Freepers last night were saying this story is a yawner, it's all old news. Not to bush! He just found out, according to McClellan.

[webtrainer]

29. Pincus story was in WaPo 5/20/2003

--------------
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the United States for the third time yesterday of the danger of radioactive contamination in Iraq because of looting at nuclear sites and called on the Bush administration to allow his safety and emergency response teams to enter the country.
---------------
Published on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 by the Washington Post
UN Atomic Chief Again Warns US About Iraq
by Walter Pincus

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0520-05.htm

-------- t h i r d t i m e ----------------

first time was 4/10, day after Saddam gov fell

"U.S. officials gave the agency "oral assurances" that U.S. forces were protecting the site."

---------- e n o u g h a l r e a d y ----------------

[Rose Siding]

14. Remarkable. It all comes down to a BOTCHED presidency

Talk to THEM! The buck's over THERE!

They couldn't even plan any decent response in 10 DAYS. Condi worked so hard on it, she had to hit the stump.

[maddezmom]

15. AP- White House plays down loss of explosives in Iraq

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&ncid=696&e=6&u=/afp/20041025/pl_afp/iraq_iaea_us_explosives

[NVMojo]

38. Bush has known for about ten days ...that would mean Sinclair

was supposed to be a good diversion ....

[Brundle_Fly]

17. oerhaps scott should mention....

already destroyed more than 243,000 munitions and have another nearly 363,000 on line to be destroyed.


oh he did? about 7 times...okay.

its a screw up, contact everybody.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Yeah, priorities on April 9th meant photo-ops

of pulling down Saddam's statue. Boy, the army was really busy with such important work!

[antonialee839]

19. Now that Chimpy and Condaliar know

about the missing explosives, that have only been missing for an entire year, (yeah that's the ticket), do you suppose they will cut the stumping short and head back to Washington to get to the bottom of this?

[Sin]

20. Earmuffs?

Why do I get the picture when ever something bad happens and cabal gets together to talk about things of this nature they just look over at * and go Earmuffs.
Ugh I truly can't stand this resident and the people around him.

[stevedeshazer]

25. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil

[gulfcoastliberal]

21. "Important priorities at that point...concern about the devastation

that could occur to the oil fields."

That says it all. Secure the oil ministry yet fuck vital infrastructure and precious cultural relics. Are they still using the archeological site of Babylons remains as a helicopter and tank base? :puke:

[Toucano]

22. Bullshit.

The interim Iraqi government is the United States government. The president knew when they knew. At least!

On edit:

Forgot to tell you all what I was talking about. D'oh!

"The Iraqi Interim Government informed -- told the IAEA -- the International Atomic Energy Agency on October 10th that there were approximately 350 tons of high explosives missing from Al Qaqaa in Iraq."

[Elidor]

23. Even for a lie, it's pretty awful

The White House finds out on the 15th that hundreds of tons of high explosives are missing in Iraq? Okay, sure. But nobody thinks to tell the fake National Security Advisor for several days? Well, okay - she is a fake, after all, so what is she going to do? At some point, she gets around to telling the preznit. "Golly, gee, Mr. President, you'll never guess..."

Even their lies are proof of their incompetence. And Josh Marshall has already put the lie to their lies. They've already spent MONTHS pressuring the Iraqis not to let the cat out of the bag.

All they're doing is trying to establish their chain of plausible deniability.

Rumsfeld: Did you guys know about this? I sure didn't know about this.

Rice: Nobody told me. I didn't know either.

Bush: Don't look at me. Who's in charge around here, anyway?

[many a good man]

26. They're in deeep qaa-qaa

According to McClellan its no big deal, just one of HUNDREDS of munitions dumps scattered all over the countryside.

Just one of a multiple of concerns....

It must be hard work!

[leQ]

27. wasn't bremer told about this a long time ago?

seems i remember josh marshall saying something like that... why didn't bremer's name come up in today's gaggle?

i hope the media jumps on this with the full force they used when they jumped on scott petersen.

[maddezmom]

28. probably one of the reasons he slipped up and said more troops were

needed after the fall of Saddam. He probably knew this was coming and wanted to save face...oh yeah but then he clarified his remarks.

[DrBB]

31. "Are these explosives blowing up our kids over there right now, Scotty?"

That's the radioactive question. I want to see him impaled on it. I want it asked and asked again, irrespective of what lies they say in answer to it. It's THE message of this story, and so far the media has avoided it as assiduously as the *admin itself.

The true answer of course being "yes."

[flying_blind]

36. key components

The BBC notes that "HMX and RDX key components in plastic explosives, which have been widely used in car bombings in Iraq."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3950493.stm

[flying_blind]

37. plastic explosive = IED

The art of shaping the malleable plastic explosive charge to focus the blast wave toward the desired target is another important aspect of what our military now refer to by the sanitized term IEDs -- improvised explosive devices.

http://www.alternatevoice.com/blog_archives/000148.html quoting right leaning techcentralstation.com

[diamond14]

34. sooo o....bush* decided to send condi out on the Campaign Trail

after being notified of this CRISIS....


massive incompetence....

:puke:

time to BOOT THESE BASTARDS OUT......

vote Kerry....only 8 more days to regime change !!!!

[Kurovski]

39. Poor Scott. Where's Ari when you need him?

Now THAT was a man who knew how to lie.