Posted on 10/25/2004 6:36:16 AM PDT by areafiftyone
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Chad Clanton or Phil Singer, 202-464-2800, both of Kerry-Edwards 2004; http://www.johnkerry.com
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Kerry-Edwards Senior Advisor Joe Lockhart issued the following statement on reports of missing explosives in Iraq:
"Today, the Bush administration must answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq. 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? And why was this information unearthed by reporters -- and was it covered up by our national security officials?
"These explosives can be used to blow up airplanes, level buildings, attack our troops and detonate nuclear weapons. The Bush administration knew where this stockpile was, but took no action to secure the site. They were urgently and specifically informed that terrorists could be helping themselves to the most dangerous explosives bonanza in history, but nothing was done to prevent it from happening.
"This material was monitored and controlled by UN inspectors before the invasion of Iraq. Thanks to the stunning incompetence of the Bush administration, we now have no idea where it is.
"We need to know what the administration knew about this and when. We need to know why they failed to safeguard these explosives and keep them out of the hands of our enemies. The National Security Advisor should be at her desk in Washington tomorrow to work this problem and answer these questions, instead of giving speeches in battleground states."
Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.
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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
FROM JOHN KERRY:
BUSH'S FAILURE TO SECURE IRAQI EXPLOSIVES HAS MADE THE WORLD LESS SAFE
Today, the New York Times revealed that the Bush Administration failed to secure nearly 380 tons of high-grade explosives in Iraq shortly after the United States took control over the country, despite being informed of their exact location. The failure to secure the explosives has led to three major concerns:
1) The weapons could end up or have already ended up in the hands of a terrorist group;
2) The explosives might be used against our troops on the ground; and
3) The explosives could be used to carry out a deadly attack against America or our allies.
NEW REVELATION: Failure To Secure Iraqi Explosives May Mean that Powerful Explosives are in Hands of Terrorists
Bush Administration Remained Silent About the Disappearance of Explosives. "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.'" 10/25/04]
Explosives May Help Terrorists Create Chaos. "In May, an internal I.A.E.A. memorandum warned that terrorists might be helping 'themselves to the greatest explosives bonanza in history.'"
Explosives Could Be Used For Nuclear Weapon. "The explosives could also be used to trigger a nuclear weapon, which was why international nuclear inspectors had kept a watch on the material."
NEW REVELATION: Bush Administration Was Warned About Possible Looting of Explosives But Failed To Act
Bush Administration Ignored Warnings of Leaving Explosives Unsupervised. "A European diplomat reported that Jacques Baute, head of the I.A.E.A.'s Iraq nuclear inspection team, warned officials at the United States mission in Vienna about the danger of the nuclear sites and materials once under I.A.E.A. supervision, including Al Qaqaa. But apparently, little was done. A senior Bush administration official said that during the initial race to Baghdad, American forces 'went through the bunkers, but saw no materials bearing the I.A.E.A. seal.' It is unclear whether they ever returned."
Kerry called on Bush to secure Iraq from looting "Yesterday, Kerry took issue with the Bush administration's post-war policies in Iraq. 'I think they wasted a month,' Kerry said. 'They lost a serious amount of time because they didn't have a plan. They have allowed looting to take place that has done more damage to the infrastructure than any bomb.'" Journal-Bulletin, 5/23/03]
Bush / Administration Played Down Looting at the Time:
Bush Was Unconcerned About Looting. When asked in April 2003 about concerns of looting, Bush said: "The statue comes down on Wednesday, and the headlines start to read, 'Oh, there's disorder.' Well, no kidding... But just like the military campaign was second-guessed, I'm sure the plan is being -- but we will be successful."
Rumsfeld on Looting: "Stuff Happens". "'Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things,' Rumsfeld said. ... Looting, he added, was not uncommon for countries that experience significant social upheaval. 'Stuff happens,' Rumsfeld said."
White House Said Looting Was Part of Liberation Process. In April 2003, asked about looting in Iraq, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "Clearly, anything that involves looting is not desirable. It is worth noting that what you are seeing is a reaction to oppression. ... It's also a situation the world has seen before when oppressed people find freedom. For a short period of time, these actions have occurred in history. You saw it in Sierra Leone, you saw it in the Soviet Union with the collapse of the Soviet Union. And nobody likes to see it, but I think it has to be understood in the context of people who have been oppressed, who are reacting to the oppression..."
White House Said Stories About Looting Were Overblown. Asked about the widespread looting in Iraq, Fleischer said: "This is almost starting to remind me of the stories that said our forces were bogged down, as people watched 24, 36 hours' worth of people reacting to the oppression from which they suffered. ...but there's no question, in the President's judgment, that what's happening is people are finding liberation, are finding freedom."
NEW REVELATION: Explosives May Be Used Against Our Troops
Immediate Concern Is Weapons Could Be Used Against Troops. "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."
Same Type of Explosives Have Been Used By Terrorists Before. "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."
Bush Said He Would Do Everything To Keep U.S. Soldiers Safe.
Bush: "Look, we just need strong support for our troops. And I have a solemn duty to say to you as squarely as I can, we will do the very best we possibly can to make your loved one safe. That's what we owe the family members, and that's what we owe the troops."
Sorry about that. I need more coffee!
Why, so it could be released the week before the election because it was the closest thing to an October Surprise your pathetic gang could concoct, Joe. Do you really think you fool anyone with your bug-eyed blathering?
I suspect that the explosives disappeared during the period between when the UN left Iraq before the war and when the US soldiers arrived after the invasion. Nothing I have read indicates that the explosives were actually ever at the site when we arrived.
They're going to run with this all damn week!
Does Fat Joe have any response about the Clinton administration's failure regarding North Korea?
If you really want to throw up, Creepy Kerry is supposed to give a speech on those weapons in a few minutes I think. From what I have been reading!
Then why isn't the Bush administration getting that out in the News media. Kerry is about to give a speech on this. Bush should not let Kerry get away with this!
I DESPISE KERRY.....his slurring words speech is on now....he is A KNOWN LIAR and SHALLOW SNOB... ANYONE who thinks a liar and traitor to american armed forces would make a GREAT POTUS, are only godless crazies like he is... He who is always calling our President a liar, lies ALL THE DAYUM TIME about ANYTHING....the war, the color of his skin, it goes on and on....He can get out there and say ANYTHING and call it the truth BECAUSE he is a LIAR... and it says a LOT for that slimey party, that they are all bragging they are bringing in the "BIG GUN".. Clinton... a man who LIED UNDER OATH and thumbed his big red nose at the law of our land, was a draft dodging coward and demonstrated against America on foreign soil.... I think America has lost her soul when I remember things like this.
Is this a backdoor promise for sKerry to be Omnipotient, All Present, All Knowing? What war didn't have problems, especially when both sides of Congress were working on the same side to destroy evil, let alone a war when one side has sided with the enemy (Democrats), comforted them, consoled them, and prayed for them to get the upper hand.
Drudge said last night that he believed the White House leaked this story and that it might be part of a one two counterpunch
There is nothing in any story, other than an unsubstantiated statement in the NY Times that anonymous officials in the administration admit that the explosives went missing after the war. In reality, they were moved to Syria by Saddam prior to the invasion.
Your so right rocklobster11....
These Democrat traitors will stop at no evil to gain power!
1) The weapons could end up or have already ended up in the hands of a terrorist group;
2) The explosives might be used against our troops on the ground; and
3) The explosives could be used to carry out a deadly attack against America or our allies.
=======
Let's see-- this is what the NY Slimes said, right? Sounds like it should it should HAVE BEEN A REPEAT FROM WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SAID ABOUT KERRY'S PROPOSAL FOR GIVING NUKE FUEL RODS TO IRAN.....I wonder if anyone in the media (har!) has reminded him of that???
Actually, they will. The MSM will report nothing but this all week. It validates Kerry's position that we didn't have a plan when we went over there. I'm not agreeing with that position - but its easy enough for the lazy MSM to understand and report. Bush should respond by saying that the presence of these explosives, especially the ones necessary to detonate nukes, proves his WMD argument. They should be aggressive about this and simply state that they know where most of the stuff is and will get it back when the time is right. Simply trying to be defensive will not work. This really is good news if played right.
The explosives were gone once the marines got to the bunker - even the NY Times admitted that late in the article. This is absolutely a manufactured news story. And it's encouraging that this is the best the Dems could do for an October surprise.
zzzz.. this is the October suprise for Kerry?
You're kidding right?
Iraq was/is brimming with HUNDREDS of thousands of tons of munitions (explosives, mortar rounds, RPG's, etc) Tens of thousands of tons have been destroyed, but God only knows where the rest are. How are these explosives any different then the thousands of tons of explosives elsewhere in the country?
Do you folks realize that the ENTIRE Kerry campaign would grind to a complete halt if they were prohibited from using the word "MISTAKE" in any of their cockamamie statements....
well, they are gonna have the next four years off to try to think of another venomous word for Hitlery to use in '08
Has Joe explained how he was involved with forged military documents used by Dan Rather?
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