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The NYT/Drudge Bombshell: Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq
NY Times ^ | JAMES GLANZ, WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER

Posted on 10/24/2004 7:21:04 PM PDT by icecold

Edited on 10/25/2004 6:42:02 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

Huge Cache of Explosives Vanished From Site in Iraq By JAMES GLANZ, WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER

Published: October 25, 2004

This article was reported and written by James Glanz, William J. Broad and David E. Sanger.

BAGHDAD, 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 Sunday. United Nations weapons inspectors had monitored the explosives for many years, but White House and Pentagon officials acknowledge that the explosives vanished sometime after the American-led 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......"


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: explosives; iraq; napalminthemorning; newyorktimes; nytrogate
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To: Josh in PA

I agree, just trot out Franks or somebody to explain how the real world works. As has been said repeatedly, from a few days into Iraqi Freedom on, the country was an ammo dump.


61 posted on 10/24/2004 7:35:57 PM PDT by gypsylea
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To: bella1

Any news organization or "reporter" that breaks an october surprise story this week should be given the egg treatment.


62 posted on 10/24/2004 7:36:01 PM PDT by samadams2000 ("Did they get you to trade, your heroes for ghosts")
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To: johannes89a

Isn't this the same story that has been floating around for about 3 weeks?


63 posted on 10/24/2004 7:36:03 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (God is not a Republican. But Satan is definitely a Democrat.)
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To: Antoninus

The October Surprise in all this is that they seem to believe this recycled story, built on a heap of conjecture, will affect the election.


64 posted on 10/24/2004 7:36:16 PM PDT by Petronski (On the land in the air on the sea, let's swing out to Victory. --Fats Waller)
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To: icecold; johannes89a

Welcome to FRee Republic. Sign up dates: 2004-10-08 and 2004-09-18, respectively.


65 posted on 10/24/2004 7:36:38 PM PDT by manic4organic (Nipplegate and Rathergate: two boobs exposed. (courtesy of Stateline))
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To: Lunatic Fringe

Nowhere does it say that we actually took possession of it, and it disappeared under our watch.

The best they can say is that it was there BEFORE we invaded and it isn't there now.

It was most likely in those trucks Saddam sent to Syria days before we invaded.


66 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:14 PM PDT by FairOpinion (GET OUT THE VOTE. ENSURE A BUSH/CHENEY WIN.)
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To: ladyinred
Really! The idiots at the NYT's think this is going to hurt Bush?

This only confirms Bush's claim that Iraq was armed to the teeth and a danger to the world....and even WORSE that these arms could have gotten into the hands of terrorists.

And WHO wins when Americans feel threatened by terrorism. BUSH.
All polls show Bush beats Kerry when it comes to the war on terrorism.

67 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:24 PM PDT by Jorge
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To: manx

I also thought this was spoken about in the Dolpher (sp?) report and thought it might have been moved before the war. But I'm not to sure about this one


68 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:32 PM PDT by MJY1288
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To: Petronski
How many flatbed semi-tractor trailers were needed to haul away 251-380 tons? Hauled to where?

In the world of the New York Times, a convoy of 80 to 100 tractor trilers hauling away HE is a quite exceptable notion but 4 tractor trailers hauling off WMD and one jeep carrying a suitcase with the bio crap is out of the question. They are pathetic.

69 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:42 PM PDT by jwalsh07 (Always ask yourself, does this pass the Global Test?)
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To: johannes89a

The surprise will be when the Dems think they have given this story legs and the administration admits that we took it out of country.


70 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:43 PM PDT by dmartin (Who Dares Wins)
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To: Pikamax
Hello,

A pet peeve of mine is the length of the articles written by the NYT. They go on, and on, and on, and generally say very little. Oh, they use big words, and weave pretty word pictures to accuse those on the right of the most heinous crimes, but couldn't they accomplish their little lefty goals quicker?
Glad to be here, MOgirl
71 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:43 PM PDT by MOgirl (In memory of Walton Wayne Callahan, I love you forever.)
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To: Pikamax

NYT Excerpted. Posted entire article at #12.


72 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:49 PM PDT by Rebelbase (President Jimmy Carter is a complete idiot .)
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To: johannes89a

You are dreaming. The perception that the war wasn't planned carefully is a long dead horse. Nobody is going to be swayed one way or the other at this point in the election on the Iraq issue, based on this story.


73 posted on 10/24/2004 7:37:59 PM PDT by Rokke
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To: dannyboy72

Perhaps I missed something, but the article doesn't state conclusively that the explosives disappeared after the war. It says that the IAEA was monitoring the site prior to the war, but I'm sure they stopped days if not weeks before the invasion. The soldiers looked at the site, and determined that nothing was there shortly after the invasion started. Thus, they weapons could easily have been moved by Saddam to Syria prior to the war.


74 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:21 PM PDT by rocklobster11
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To: icecold

Kerry will try to make hay out of this, but I don't see this having much effect on the election. If anything, it reminds people that Saddam was working on nukes.


75 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:29 PM PDT by Nick Danger (www.swiftvets.com www.wintersoldier.com www.kerrylied.com)
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To: Pikamax

Am I missing something? Does it say anywhere that the 377 tons of explosives were verified to have been there at the time of the invasion?


76 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:40 PM PDT by mollynme (cogito, ergo freepum)
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To: Wild Irish Rogue

"Weapon inspectors determined that Iraq had bought the explosives from France, China and Yugoslavia, a European diplomat said."

Hmmm.


77 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:47 PM PDT by FairOpinion (GET OUT THE VOTE. ENSURE A BUSH/CHENEY WIN.)
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To: icecold

Yup. Zarqawi rolled up 1600 Toyota pickups in the early days of the war and carried it all out.

When the NYT questioned him at the time, he claimed the trucks were being used in a wedding procession.

The answer seemed to satisfy the keen analytical minds at the Times.


78 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:47 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Got Wood?)
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To: hansel

if you had to bet, would you bet against the DNC having some backchannel method to communicate with Zarqawi? or iran? you know you wouldn't.

this is the real thing to fear here - this story as a standalone means almost nothing. But some huge attack in iraq, as you say regarding what the trolls are posting, that kills a large number of US soldiers in one event - that could be the real agenda here.


79 posted on 10/24/2004 7:38:56 PM PDT by oceanview
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To: johannes89a
"We need to silence this, fast! WHERE'S OUR SURPRISE!!??!!??"

If your sincere, take a deep breath and calm down.

This is a smear of a possible military failure, not Presidential failure (unless Bush said "Leave this ammo unguarded"). It a lammo attempt.
80 posted on 10/24/2004 7:39:07 PM PDT by Mountain Dewd
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