[Carl/NewsMax]

To be sure, the Times spin is that the "monitored stockpiles" and other "dangerous" materials, along with the equipment to make more, was "looted" because the US blundered by not securing the sites.

But that's not the real news here. I urge all to read the Times original report and see what it says.

The real news is that the Times is admitting Iraq had tons of bad stuff when we invaded that it wasn't supposed to have, including "nuclear related" materials that have now gone missing.

If it's a problem that, that stuff is missing now, it certainly had to be considered a problem when Saddam had it.

[Strategerist]

The real news is that the Times is admitting Iraq had tons of bad stuff when we invaded that it wasn't supposed to have, including "nuclear related" materials that have now gone missing.

"Wasn't supposed to have?" Actually Iraq was permitted to have a lot of "nuclear related" materials, including the tons of yellowcake, etc.

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

I urge all to read the Times original report and see what it says.

Aren't you afraid that we'll figure out that your "quotes" aren't really in the article?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well the place was filled with ordinary munitions, "Bad Stuff", and most interesting to me was all the "barrels of insecticide" found at military installations, yet nurseryman couldn't afford to buy it....so why was that?

But in terms of Stockpiles of FULLY prepared and READY ? "Stockpiles of WMD"...they haven't been found.

[Lady In Blue]

THANK YOU!! I also read this article as saying that the so-called looting was done BEFOREas well as doing the invasion.

[liberallarry]

The Times has the problems you say it has; they downplayed the WMD threat posed by Saddam and were wrong. Saddam did not possess WMD but he possessed much of the infrastructure necessary to make them and he certainly had the desire and the will to obtain them.

But using quotation marks

"monitored stockpiles" and other "dangerous" materials, along with the equipment to make more, [were] "looted" because the US blundered by not securing the sites.

to imply spin doesn't cut it.

Dangerous stuff was looted...and not because U.S. blundered but because we didn't have enough troops to protect everything that we knew needed protecting. We were forced into triage - we protected what we thought was most important. And what was that? Principally, the oil infrastructure.