Campaigns head to Wisconsin - President fires back on explosives lie

CNN.com ^ | October 26, 2004

[Cincinatus' Wife]

(CNN)..........The report that tons of high explosives were missing from a depot in Iraq provided campaign ammunition Monday, with Kerry launching a blistering attack on Bush. The Democrat called it "one of the great blunders of Iraq and one of the great blunders of this administration."

Late Monday, the mystery took another twist -- NBC News, which had a crew embedded with the U.S. military during the invasion, reported that the material had already vanished by the time American troops arrived there on April 10, 2003, the day after Baghdad fell. (Report: Explosives already gone when U.S. troops arrived) http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/26/iraq.explosives/index.html

The Bush camp wasted little time in firing back, firing off a statement saying that Kerry's criticism of the president over the missing material has "been proven false before the day is over."

"John Kerry's attacks today were baseless," Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said. "He said American troops did not secure the explosives, when the explosives were already missing."

Schmidt also said that Kerry "neglects to mention the 400,000 tons of weapons and explosives that are either destroyed or in the process of being destroyed" in Iraq.

But Kerry senior adviser Joe Lockhart fired back with a statement of his own, accusing the Bush campaign of "distorting" the NBC News report.

"In a shameless attempt to cover up its failure to secure 380 tons of highly explosive material in Iraq, the White House is desperately flailing in an effort to escape blame," Lockhart said. "It is the latest pathetic excuse from an administration that never admits a mistake, no matter how disastrous."...

Lockhart did not elaborate on how the Bush campaign was distorting the NBC report.....

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

Thanks for the link. If Kerry wins this election, we might as well replace our red-white-and-blue flags with just white ones. That's how weak we will be.

[EQAndyBuzz]

"Thanks for the link. If Kerry wins this election, we might as well replace our red-white-and-blue flags with just white ones. That's how weak we will be. "

The DNC has already begun to distribute the flags. They are red with a yellow hammer and sickle on them.

[LibLieSlayer]

If you doubt the accuracy, here is a tidbit posted by another Freeper last night. It is dated from the AP! I have no link, but the date should allow finding the article.

LLS

---

This from the AP 4/2/2003


"As the military advances closer to Baghdad, signs of Iraqi chemical preparedness are multiplying, although there is still no conclusive evidence Saddam Hussein's regime possesses weapons of mass destruction.

On Friday, troops at a training facility in the western Iraqi desert came across a bottle labeled "tabun" -- a nerve gas and chemical weapon Iraq is banned from possessing.

Closer to Baghdad, troops at Iraq's largest military industrial complex found nerve agent antidotes, documents describing chemical warfare and a white powder that appeared to be used for explosives.

U.N. weapons inspectors went repeatedly to the vast al Qa Qaa complex -- most recently on March 8 -- but found nothing during spot visits to some of the 1,100 buildings at the site 25 miles south of Baghdad.

Col. John Peabody, engineer brigade commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, said troops found thousands of 2-by-5-inch boxes, each containing three vials of white powder, together with documents written in Arabic that dealt with how to engage in chemical warfare.

Initial reports suggest the powder is an explosive, but tests are still being done, a senior U.S. official said. If confirmed, it would be consistent with what the Iraqis say is the plant's purpose, producing explosives and propellants

[LibLieSlayer]

Brit Hume put it into perspective last night. It would take 40 large trucks to haul 377 tons of this stuff. It would take 40,000 trucks to haul all of the ordinance that we have already destroyed in Iraq to date.

LLS

[Coldwater Creek]

The trouble is that 50% of the country is not thinking.

[Non-Sequitur]

I thought that doctoring titles was a no-no.

[Coldwater Creek]

He is not going to win!

[keats5]

"Lockhart did not elaborate on how the Bush campaign was distorting the NBC report....."

This is from CNN. Even, the MSM has turned on Kerry.

He's toast.

[nmh]

Yeah, it's alittle tough to secure weapons that are ALREADY GONE.

[anyone_but_kerry]

I hope Fox and Friends grills the Kerry spokesperson on this today

Doocy really nailed an RNC guy on this. He interrupted the guy and was yelling at him. Doocy had that kind of self-satified smirk he gets sometimes...

Then Kilmeade and E.D. rehashed the whole thing with Kondracke. They are playing up the angle at that the IAEA had an agenda - to embarrass W. They are also really lacing into the NY Times for not following up with the NBC embedded reporter's eyewitness report that the weapons were gone when the troops rolled in.

[Coop]

"In a shameless attempt to cover up its failure to secure 380 tons of highly explosive material in Iraq, the White House is desperately flailing in an effort to escape blame," Lockhart said. "It is the latest pathetic excuse from an administration that never admits a mistake, no matter how disastrous."... Lockhart did not elaborate on how the Bush campaign was distorting the NBC report.....

Lots of adjectives, no substance. Getting a little weary, are we Joe? Do I see bags under those bug eyes of yours? :-D

[livius]

Even, the MSM has turned on Kerry.

I've been a little surprised in the last few days. Even the fact that the NBC folks would tell the truth about the explosives is pretty remarkable.

I wonder if Kerry's constant lying if beginning to make some people uneasy. Even the people who work for MSM must realize that they live in this country, too, and their fate is tied with its fate; and electing somebody who seems to be a pathological liar and probably has a major personality disorder may strike even these folks as a bit too risky.

[beckysueb]

And Fox. They soft balled the Kerry spokesman. Let him get by with lies and diverted the subject to OBL.

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

Thanks for the additional info. Very interesting. I don't doubt the accuracy of the NBC report. I'm just saying Bush should get all his ducks in a row, check and double-check everything, and then... attack Kerry and the N.Y. Times in a, well, major-league way.

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

There should be a new Fox News Channel policy from now through Nov. 2nd: Brit Hume should be on the air 24/7. Then the Kerry spinmeisters he inherited from the impeached one won't be able to get away with their lies.

[beckysueb]

Thats the same flag that some people on DU use for their symbol.

[beckysueb]

The MSM is running true to form. They spin the news and do everything in their power to get their boy elected but when election day draws close and they see no hope, they start jumping ship. Kerry has got to be feeling some desperation right now.

[beckysueb]

They are going to try to spin it this way. "It doesn't matter. Bush was more worried about the oil fields and let the museums get looted." Those museums were already empty when we got there, too. The stuff had mostly been looted when Hussien had to take off once he knew we were coming for him.

[mystery-ak]

Kerry never misses an opportunity to make a backhanded slap of our military....just like VN...he hates the military...he always jumps on any bad report re the military....true or not.

[beckysueb]

Thank God for the embedded reporters. I heard embedding reporters was Bush's idea so the libs and media couldn't spin things. What a brilliant idea.