Posted on 10/24/2004 5:55:31 PM PDT by spacejunkie
NYT DEVELOPING EXCLUSIVE FRONT PAGE STORY ON TERRORISTS AND EXPLOSIVES. EDITOR HAS SET LEAD POSITION FOR STORY, NEWSROOM SOURCES TELL DRUDGE... DEVELOPING...
If it is from the Talking Points Memo, the author quotes the following from Chris Nelson (and yes, "Al Qa Qaa" is what is found on the website).
"Despite pressure from DOD to keep it quiet, the IAEA and the Iraqi Interim Government this month officially reported that 350-tons of dual-use, very high explosives were looted from a previously secure site in the early days of the US occupation in 2003.
Administration officials privately admit this material is likely a primary source of the lethal car bomb attacks which cause so many US and Iraqi casualties. In the first presidential candidate debate, on foreign policy, Democratic nominee John Kerry charged that captured munitions and weapons were being turned against Coalition Forces, with US troops suffering 90% of the casualties. But the specifics of the losses from the Al Qa Qaa bunker and building complex, only now being reported, were apparently unknown outside of DOD and the US occupation authorities.
The Bush Administration barred the IAEA from any participation in the Iraq invasion and occupation process, and blocked IAEA requests to help in the search for WMD and other dangerous materials.
Kerry kept trying to beat this drum during the debate. It is not new news so I think they are going to have to hit it hard and have some new hook to make it stick.
This story has been out for a while; the stuff was evidently professionally removed, probably by us, and I think the UN has been trying to force the US to admit that we were the ones who removed it. Claiming that terrorists have it and are running wild with it is a way of putting pressure on us, I believe, something that the Times would be very happy to have a hand in.
I think not.
Non-story... Drudge hyping his radio show to get listeners.
And here is why. Remember I love you. :-)
No, I don't think so. Besides, only the NYT could hold the Bush administration responible for not securing munitions that the UN inspectors said were not there.
Exactly. Furthermore, this will be given as the reason why 1,000 US soldiers have been killed - It will be trumped high and low as proof positive of why America needs a new Commander -in-Chief.
Because you didn't give us any meat. You had a link with a question as a title. Ya gotta give us more than that.
"I posted this a little while ago and the thread was pulled. I don't know why."
Not sure either, but Josh Marshall is almost never right about anything and is pretty much, IMHO, a left-wing loon.
-Toonces
could we all please stop asking "october surprise?" about every little story that fails to materialize?
No this is conventional explosives. RDX and TNT are not nuclear.
OH GOOD, WE CAN READ DRUDGE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU'RE SCREAMING ABOUT! EXCEPT THAT DRUDGE ISN'T ON THE CUTTING EDGE ANY LONGER!
I'm pleased to introduce Red State readers to our newest and most welcome contributor, Joel Mowbray. Joel is the author of the Washington Times piece we referred to on Saturday - which will run page 1, above-the-fold tomorrow.. Joel is a long-time columnist, investigative journalist, and author of Dangerous Diplomacy: How The State Department Threatens American Security . He's a dogged reporter -- see, for example, his epic series of confrontations with the State Department's Richard Boucher, one of which led to his being "detained" -- and he's the first person that Red State approached once it became clear that there might be a story here.He'll be blogging here at Red State to cover developments in the story and respond to any critiques and comments raised. We're lucky to have him, and happy to be able to provide a place for him to cover the story in a way that doesn't depend on print deadlines or studio time.
Update [2004-10-24 18:19:47 by krempasky]: Mea culpa. I sent an email out a few minutes ago, and while I correctly identified the newspaper as the Washington Times in the subject line, I had a seizure and mixed it up with the WaPo in the body. So - for the record, we're talking about the Washington Times. Sorry for the confusion
Was he ever? I mean, has he ever broken a story besides the Monica Lewinsky saga?
The MSM is so lame.
When the public reads this, they'll say, "But wait a minute...didn't they tell us that Saddam didn't have nuclear weapons and couldn't make them, therefore he was no threat."
They can't have it both ways:
Bush misled us...Saddam didn't have nuclear weapons capabiility
Bush failed...he didn't protect the nuclear weapons material.
NYT and MSM...make up your minds!!!!
If that source has it right, this is VERY bad.
Blah, blah. Tons of explosives are all around. The bombers are using artillery shells, you name it.
The article appeals to the UN Lovers that somehow if the IAEA was cut out, that was bad. Maybe there were good reasons for cutting out the IAEA.
If it's cause military during occupation didn't secure the material, it is a Bush bash. See the talkingpointsmemo.com
But...I swear a saw a blue chunk of cloud fall out of the sky. ;-)
I don't give a damn what the MSM pulls, they'll give it their best till the election is sealed. Then they'll rinse and repeat it all over another four years.
Some folks here need to stop letting the MSM dictate how you respond to their DNC prepped news.
Already heard this story. Sounds like they're trying to repackage it.
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