LAT: White House Downplays Missing Iraq Explosives

[JohnnyCougar]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-explosives26oct26,1,5204158.story?coll=la-home-headlines

WASHINGTON — The White House acknowledged Monday that nearly 380 tons of powerful explosives were missing from a weapons facility that American forces failed to guard after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, raising fears that the munitions could be given to militants or used for attacks against troops in Iraq.

U.S. officials say the explosives — which are powerful enough to detonate a nuclear bomb — may have been looted from one of Saddam Hussein's bomb-making plants when U.S. forces worked to pacify Baghdad and other restive cities.

White House officials downplayed the significance of the missing explosives. But coming eight days before the presidential election, the disclosure reverberated through the campaign, with Democratic nominee Sen. John F. Kerry calling it one of President Bush's "great blunders" in Iraq.

<snip>

David Kay, the CIA's former chief weapons hunter in Iraq, believes that the material was looted in the immediate aftermath of the war.

He said he saw the facility in May 2003, "and it was heavily looted at that time. Sometime between April and May, most of the stuff was carried off. The site was in total disarray, just like a lot of the Iraqi sites."

Looks like this "they were looted before we got there" thing is a bust!

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Of course they want to downplay 380 tons of explosives

n/t

[enigma-e]

2. Of course they want to downplay 380 tons of explosives,...

... especially when only one single pound was needed to explode the Pan Am Flight 103 Jumbo Jet over Lockerbie!

[DELUSIONAL]

3. and cargo placed in airplanes isn't inspected

meanwhile passengers are almost strip searched.

This bush crime family are experts are re-directing our attention using FEAR.

[JohnnyCougar]

4. the hypocricy is stunning

The important thing about this article is that it pretty much shoots to pieces the freeper argument that they were stolen before the US got there.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[MsMagnificent]

7. Is it another LIHOP?

(Let It Happen On Purpose)

They were warned often and early. We (the people) heard all these warnings too. Yet they did nothing.

I was of the opinion they were just stupid and careless until this. This they cannot get around.

Do they want one of these crazy groups setting off a nuclear bomb just so we can go postal with our bombs?
All over the Middle East?

[Moderator]

8. Duplicate topic--Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=931606&mesg_id=931606