Missing Explosives Story Missing Facts

The Washington Dispatch ^ | 10-26-04 | C.K. Rairden

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The New York Times hyped an alarming “October Surprise” story on Monday. It seems the Old Gray Lady believed it had a breaking “news story” about 380 tons of “powerful explosives used to destroy airplanes, demolish buildings, make missile warheads and trigger nuclear weapons” that had disappeared in Iraq. The materials were allegedly stolen from a facility called Al-Qaqaa, an area roughly 30 miles south of Baghdad. The implication was that the United States military dropped the ball as they should have been guarding the ammo.

[snip]

There is incompetence alright, and it’s in the Kerry campaign and the Old Media.

This story is in dispute and has been presented in a completely biased manner. It is easy to argue that this story was highlighted to assist John Kerry. It was at the center of his accusatory campaign rallies all day on Monday. But the missing elements of the story are astonishing. And again, just as with the fraudulent document story Dan Rather tries to heave at the president, the story is falling apart in record time.

By Monday night it was learned that NBC News had imbedded reporters with the 101st Airborne as they took over the facility on April 10, 2003. The conclusion of NBC, “the troops never found the nearly 380 tons of some of the most powerful conventional explosives, called HMX and RDX, which is now missing.” The Pentagon makes the same claim.

The New York Times story failed to mention that. John Kerry has yet to mention that. In fact, they are still using the story on Tuesday afternoon as if the NBC revelation never happened.

[snip]

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The Washington Dispatch website has some rather aggressive pop-ups. Beware.

[South40]

http://www.dailyrecycler.com/blog/2004/10/nytrogate.html

[sionnsar]

You should have included the final line:

And the amazing thing is, it didn’t even take Buckhead to do it this time.

*\;-)

[BooksForTheRight.com]

Here is a site with a list of media email addresses.
They need to hear from us about the fake October Surprise and the continuing media fraud.
http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm#networks

[NutCrackerBoy]

Now I understand even better why this news is being repeated even after its facts called into serious question. I heard it on NPR this morning repeated with no qualifiers. It's the 'false' but 'true' angle like CBS' National Guard forgeries. The damage to Bush is just too delicious to let measly facts get in the way.

Several times now, reputable papers have printed damaging but wrong information with almost invisible retractions in the next day or two that logically would undo all the damage of the story.

[pawdoggie]

Okay, looks like another "Rather-gate"; but where, or where, is the Bush Administration outrage? Rather/CBS said the "Administration" confirmed the story. Where's the White House Press Spokesperson to call Rather a liar? Relying on Rush Limbaugh and Fox News to get the true story out is fine if you're only interested in preaching to a 20 million committed Bush voter choir. Would it not be better to let "blue dog" Democrats and independents know what's up? If I'm a Reagan Democrat, or a true uncommitted independent, I'm going to believe CBS/CNN/ABC/MSNBC until the President says otherwise.

[schaketo]

Just called and sent this via email to the following addresses at the NYT:

executive-editor@nytimes.com

managing-editor@nytimes.com

public@nytimes.com

---

The NYT needs to apologize to America, and you need to run a retraction regarding the Iraqi explosives story you ran yesterday.

Once again Dan Rather and CBS News and the New York Times are attempting to manipulate a false story to effect our nation’s elections.

The Iraqi explosives story CBS and the New York Times ran yesterday is a fraud. These weapons were not there when US troops went to this site in 2003. The IAEA and its head, the anti-American Mohammed El Baradei, leaked a false letter on this issue to the media to embarrass the Bush administration.

I’m going to ask the FCC to investigate CBS and the NYT continued egregious actions.

[shooster]

Bush and Kerry Spar Over Iraq, Security Mon Oct 25, 7:49 PM ET By DAVID ESPO and NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writers PHILADELPHIA - Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) cited the Iraq (news - web sites) war and a huge cache of missing explosives Monday as proof President Bush (news - web sites) has "failed the test of being commander in chief." The Republican slammed his rival as "consistently and dangerously wrong" on national security matters. In a race of ever-escalating rhetoric, the president also accused the Democratic challenger of "the worst kind of Monday-morning quarterbacking" on the wars in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq. But he fell silent on the disappearance of 377 tons of high explosives in Iraq, leaving it to aides to explain. Public polls in the major battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida were so close that both camps had cause for optimism — and room for doubt. And with only eight days to go, there were signs that the field of competition might be widening. Democrats fretted about a tight race in Hawaii and made plans to advertise to voters in the state. Polls showed a tightening race in Arkansas, a state the president won four years ago and the Democrats had virtually given up for lost this time. The president's high command was concerned, as well, about New Hampshire, in Bush's column four years ago, trending Kerry's way in the race's final days. Long-planned events blended with the unexpected in a campaign already marked by unpredictability. Former President Clinton (news - web sites) joined Kerry at a noontime rally in Philadelphia that drew tens of thousands. "If this isn't good for my heart, I don't know what is," Clinton said, looking thinner seven weeks after bypass surgery. Supreme Court officials announced that Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer and is expected to return to work next week. The statement served as a reminder that the next president is likely to have more than one appointment to an aging court that is divided on abortion, gay rights and more. Word of the disappearance of explosives from a military installation in Iraq was like a campaign gift to Kerry, and he quickly put it to use. Failure to secure the material was "one of the great blunders of Iraq, one of the great blunders of this administration," the four-term Massachusetts senator said in New Hampshire, his first campaign stop of the day. "Terrorists could use this material to kill our troops, our people, blow up our airplanes and level buildings." "...The unbelievable blindness, stubbornness, arrogance of this administration to do the basics has now allowed this president to once again fail the test of being the commander in chief," Kerry said. Bush gave as good as he got. "On Iraq, my opponent has a strategy of pessimism and retreat," he said in Greeley, Colo. That was mere warmup, though. He accused Kerry of "throwing out the wild claim that he knows where Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) was in the fall of 2001 — and that our military had a chance to get him in Tora Bora." That was a reference to Kerry's frequent assertion that the administration "outsourced" the job of hunting down bin Laden to Afghan warlords. "This is an unjustified and harsh criticism of our military commanders in the field," Bush said. "This is the worst kind of Monday-morning quarterbacking." Beyond Iraq, Bush cited Kerry's opposition to the first Persian Gulf War (news - web sites), his proposal for cuts in the intelligence budget in 1994 and his position on former President Reagan's defense buildup in the 1980s. Together, they show that "on the largest national security issues of our time, he has been consistently and dangerously wrong." White House spokesman Scott McClellan sought to allay concern over the threat posed by 377 tons of explosives missing from the Al Qaqaa military installation. He told reporters no nuclear material was involved, and gave reporters an accounting of weapons found, not those lost. "We have destroyed more than 243,000 munitions," he said. "We've secured another nearly 163,000 that will be destroyed." At the Pentagon (news - web sites), an official who monitors developments in Iraq said U.S.-led coalition troops had searched Al Qaqaa in the immediate aftermath of the March 2003 invasion and confirmed that the explosives were intact. Thereafter the site was not secured by U.S. forces, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. With the race in its final full week, the pace of the campaigning picked up — as did the involvement of the courts. Kerry campaigned from New Hampshire to Wisconsin during the day by way of Pennsylvania and Michigan. Aides mapped a plan for a 72-hour marathon leading to Election Day. Bush went from his ranch in Texas to Colorado, Iowa and Wisconsin as he sought the 270 electoral votes needed for a second term. The pace of legal maneuvering was picking up, as well, as both parties anticipated a close finish. In Florida, U.S. District Judge James I. Cohn ruled the state is not required to create a paper record of ballots to be available in case of a recount. In somewhat of an understatement, Cohn said the case "is of great public importance," and promised to issue a written order quickly to permit an appeal. Florida was the site of a bitterly contested recount in 2000 that eventually went to the Supreme Court — Rehnquist presiding. A 5-4 court ruling sealed Bush's 537-victory in the state, propelling him to the White House.

[finnman69]

UN Report in 2003 notes Iraq "lost" HMX & converted remaining HMX stocks into "industrial explosive"

http://www.iraqwatch.org/un/iaea/iaea-elbaradei-unscbriefing-010903.htm

January 9, 2003 | MOHAMMED ELBARADEI

Other Dual Use Items

The relocation and consumption of some dual use materials has been among the questions raised in connection with Iraq's backlog of semi-annual declarations. The high explosive "HMX" is a prime example of such material. The removal of Agency seals on the HMX and the declared relocation and consumption of some of the HMX must be explained and documented by Iraq before the Agency can reach a conclusion with regard to the use of such material. The Iraqi declarations indicate that out, of the 228 tonnes of HMX available in Iraq at the end of 1998, 196 remained at the facility where the HMX was previously under IAEA seal. Iraq also declared that it had blended the remaining 32 tonnes with sulphur and turned them into 45.6 tonnes of "industrial explosive" provided mainly to cement plants for mining. The material balance, current stock, whereabouts and final use of such material are currently being investigated.

[watchout]

Why would America leave the security of it's country up to the United Nations?
All members in Congress and the Senate are killing Americans by supporting the United Nations.

TREASON

[mc5cents]

Hi shooster, welcome to Free Republic. HTML formatting is our friend. Was that a news report?

[NutCrackerBoy]

Rather/CBS said the "Administration" confirmed the story.

Another Rope-A-Dope? The WH did a non-denial on MemoGate which allowed Rather to hang himself.

[Hugin]

I expect John Kerry will soon say the fact that we didn't get there in time to secure the explosives is prof that we waited too long to attack Iraq.