AP with new info: "Experts Worry About Missing Iraqi Arms"

[milkyway]

<snip>
"There was an utter lack of curiosity to follow up on what was well-known to the U.N.," said David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector.

"There was a systematic failure of the military, which overran the country and left all these explosives behind without protecting its rear," he said. "The military should have had the sense to either secure high explosives and armaments or blow them up as they went through."

The Al-Qaqaa explosives included HMX and RDX, key components in plastic explosives, which insurgents in Iraq have used in repeated bomb attacks on the U.S.-led multinational force.
<snip>

"Our greatest concern from both a proliferation standpoint and from a standpoint of danger to human beings was Al-Qaqaa," the IAEA's Fleming said.

Weapons experts are questioning why Al-Qaqaa - once a key facility in Saddam Hussein's effort to build a nuclear bomb - wasn't under 24-hour guard.

The facility was considered "the pre-eminent site for high explosive stockpiles," a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10020082.htm?1c

Well, so much for Scotty's theory that it was no big deal, they could have gotten these kinds of weapons anywhere. BTW, has Scotty been allowed to talk to the press today? There's no transcript up at the White House site. I guess they realize the more they open their mouths, the deeper they sink.

Also, we should be thankful for William Kole of the AP. He's been way ahead of the other mainstream media outlets on this story.

[hlthe2b]

1. "The military should have had the sense to either secure high explosives'

I guess they never watched the burning of munitions at the depot in advance of Sherman's arrival in Atlanta a la Gone With the Wind. I dare say even the most uninformed of the lay public would recognize the need to secure arms/munitions.

What is this-- more of the NRA mentality? Freedom means free to have the means to shoot/bomb/decimate the F__k out of anyone you please? I wish this was simply hyperbole, but after Congress pushed through the measure to overturn DC's gun laws, including restrictions on "cop-killer" bullets, I am not so sure....

God, it is hard to be sane in a largely insane world....:eyes:

[Alpharetta]

2. NRA! perfect!

When we exported democracy, we exported 2nd amendment rights for all Iraqis to arm themselves with high-density explosives.

[milkyway]

6. LOL!

[struggle4progress]

23. The military didn't have the boots on the ground needed to secure ...

... this stuff, because the administration wouldn't allow them to take the required numbers.

[Catfight]

3. And still, no ones ever been fired under Bush....pathetic. n/t

[Bandit]

8. Seven days and that will all be changed

:shrug: Mass firing is about to begin.

[Catfight]

9. Ah yes, how true, fire them all! n/t

[Dem2theMax]

20. Arrest them all.

Take all to Hague.

Pronounce all GUILTY.

All go to prison - for life, no parole. :evilgrin:
Unless they want to go fight in Iraq. The troops come home. And everyone who got the GUILTY verdict gets to stay in Iraq for a lifetime. Which in their cases wouldn't be too very long.

[Parche]

4. Iraq

Ever since GW Bush illegally invaded there are a lot of Iraqi's
missing Arms...........and legs..............too sad

[JolietDem]

15. Dammit, Parche!

You pre-emptively stole the joke I was going to make! :hippie:

[Cocoa]

5. Bush response, "what do experts know?"

"worryin' never killed a terrorist!"

[KlatooBNikto]

7. May be when they start worrying about the missing arms and legs

of Iraqi children, we can call them human beings first.

[Sinnerman]

10. October Surprise ...... This is a good One.

Incompetence in the administration on the war in Iraq is proof Kerry Will Win in a Landslide

[Ramblinman]

11. Help me understand

my dad said that if they had tons and tons of explosives that are now missing, doesn't that mean that saddam was dangerous? i didn't know how to answer him.

helpless in seattle

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. No, all of these explosives were under UN Weapons Inspectors control

they were accounted for and in sealed containers. Until we kicked the inspectors out before the invasion began, they were under 24 hour guard.

BTW: Saddam bought all this stuff from us and our friends during the 1980's. Was he not just as dangerous then?

[Ramblinman]

13. that makes sense

why didn't the UN get rid of them?

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Good question

I did read a report that claims they did, but it is not clear what or how much was destroyed.

[milkyway]

16. They were dual purpose--explosives that can be used for mining,

construction, and other legitimate non-military uses. Only one kind of them (HMX, I believe) could be used as detonators for nuclear weapons.

[Lerkfish]

17. no, grasshopper, the question is, why wasn't the UN ALLOWED to

continue to destroy weapons, as they were ALREADY DOING but interrupted by the preemption.

[leftchick]

22. this bothers me....

do the wingers ask questions then not listen to the answers? The UN had accounted for and sealed these weapons and MOST of the others in Iraq until bush* booted them out to get his war on. It did not matter at all what saddam had or did not have. Even a moron could see bush* wanted to have his war and the bad guy, WMD was the excuse for it. There are many many "bad men" in the world and many of them (like saddam in the 80s) we support until it no longer suits our purposes.
Nice support for our troops eh?

[DeepModem Mom]

18. kick

[JSJ]

19. face it; the military is either corrupt as hell and/or is dumb as hell nt

[radfringe]

21. reports are "overblown", it's an "over reaction"

nothing to see here folks, move along, don't worry-go shopping

channel surfed through "news" shows last evening -- well, the story is being reframed

the explosive story is now NOT about missing explosives or the fact bush* inc. was told of their existence back in 2003

nope the story is NOW about how the media is hyping it, airing it for political purposes, and rehashing of old news

I heard more than one talking head pooh-pooh it as an "exageration" and/or "mis-reporting of the facts"

so just like Bin-Laden is "not a concern" -- missing explosives is also not a concern

Meanwhile --- about the economy -- bush* Inc. is still blaming it on Clinton... if I had a nickle for everytime the phrase "inherited Clinton recession...." was used -- well, I wouldn't have to worry about how I was going to pay my heating bills this winter