The NYT/Drudge Bombshell: Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq

NY Times ^ | JAMES GLANZ, WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER

[Steven W.]

Thank you for your post - it appears your one of few who's been paying attention. The press totally ignored these reports when they came out in the summer because they don't want to acknowledge there was so much WMD material in Iraq. Particularly devestating was the radioactive powder they'd developed to drop on cities or what not.

[mystery-ak]

Bingo.....

[Mach9]

Makes you wonder, though . . . Al Qaqaa???? Great name for a dirty trick, especially if the NYT's the tricked. Way too many unnamed sources.

[Steven W.]

The NY Times thinks it is breaking a story about the Bush administration letting 350 tons of explosives go missing. I think that by the end of the week, it will be clear that Saddam removed those weapons in big trucks going to Syria prior to the war

No, the story is / was that the administration quietly and without advertising (lest the terrorists try and get in on the action) removed the source supplies and brought them back to the US for safekeeping, alongside Qadaffi's stash.

[maine-iac7]

After the invasion, when widespread looting began in Iraq, the international weapons experts grew concerned that the Qaqaa stockpile could fall into unfriendly hands........

What "internatinal experts?" The ones that said there were no such thing there?

[Rocketwolf68]

I am going to speculate and say these were the explosives being chaperoned by the Syrians during the "incident" in North Korea recently. We can only hope that somebody on the farm was chasing this stuff and said "Hey, isn't Kim Jung Ill's train going to be passing the high explosives train right about... here?". Kablam. Funny how we haven't seen hide nor hare of the scumbag since that day. On a side note, I think the Syrians are trying to unload this stuff before they caught with hand in cookie jar.

[Petronski]

That would be by weight, I suppose some consideration of volume per unit weight would also be required.

[rocklobster11]

The story from the summer was different. It was a few tons of radioactive material. This is 350 tons of explosives that disappeared before the war.

[DBeers]

very vague and incomplete to speak kindly...

IT is one sided by omission and but the same NYT creative story craft they are famous for -stories constructed to support agenda...

Some questions:

When did the weapons disappear -before or after the interim government was in charge?

If the interim government is issuing this public concern -WHY did NYT get a scoop on something scoopless?

[mabelkitty]

If it was before the war, then how is that our fault?

[pollywog]

Bush needs to address the nation before the election!!!

[mabelkitty]

The Lord has blessed me with a strong memory, and I use it every chance I get to thwap hand-wringing newbies.
This story is aligned with the Times attempt to smear our President - we removed what we found, and Saddam squirreled the rest out of the country, as has been proven by machines with tags sold as scrap in Jordan, Turkey, and Sudan. If newbies need me to bump that thread, I can do that, too.

[EagleClaw]

Anyone remember those 170,000 "priceless artifacts" that supposedly walked out of the Iraqi national museum in Baghdad at beginning of the war?

"Why did US guard oil ministry, not museum?"

"Tragedy beyond words"

"Priceless, irreplaceable"

MSM in a lather, only to discover and sheepishly report whole thing was misunderstanding.

[rocklobster11]

If it was before the war, then how is that our fault?

It's not.

[Syncro]

This is just chumming.

They will throw the more tasty bait out on Thursday...or Friday.

It won't be provable by Nov 2 so they hope to get some good bites.

The useful idiots will gobble it up just like they did Moore's F-911

[Cosmo]

Good to hear. thanks.

[EaglesUpForever]

> Al Qa Qaa?

Must be the name of Kerry's secret October Surprise committee. This is not good, but not devastating, either. Just to be expected that the slimes will do what they can to put their man in office.

[funeralcom]

This surely is not a bomb on the Bush campaign. If the dems are counting on this as there October Surprise, this is a nothing. I'm not concerned about this as it is pretty wimpy...

[MichelleWSC]

Call me crazy but how does this hurt Bush? I mean if there is large amounts of ammo missing and WE don't have it just makes Bush's position stronger that the terrorist will do anything to acquire weapons to use against us.