NYT: Video Shows G.I.'s at Weapon Cache

[BeyondGeography]

By WILLIAM J. BROAD and DAVID E. SANGER

Published: October 29, 2004

A videotape made by a television crew with American troops when they opened bunkers at a sprawling Iraqi munitions complex south of Baghdad shows a huge supply of explosives still there nine days after the fall of Saddam Hussein, apparently including some sealed earlier by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The tape, broadcast on Wednesday night by the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis, appeared to confirm a warning given earlier this month to the agency by Iraqi officials, who said that hundreds of tons of high-grade explosives, powerful enough to bring down buildings or detonate nuclear weapons, had vanished from the site after the invasion of Iraq.

The question of whether the material was removed by Mr. Hussein's forces in the days before the invasion, or looted later because it was unguarded, has become a heated dispute on the campaign trail, with Senator John Kerry accusing President Bush of incompetence, and Mr. Bush saying it is unclear when the material disappeared and rejecting what he calls Mr. Kerry's "wild charges."

Weapons experts familiar with the work of the international inspectors in Iraq say the videotape appears identical to photographs that the inspectors took of the explosives, which were put under seal before the war. One frame shows what the experts say is a seal, with narrow wires that would have to be broken if anyone entered through the main door of the bunker.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/29/politics/29bomb.html?hp&ex=1099022400&en=3386d85551d694e2&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[maddezmom]

1. I can hear the spinners now...the NYT's...blah blah, blah

but they'll never admit to their death they f'd up this whole scenario

[rodeodance]

11. crowds lapping up Bushs blame game

I just saw a clip on MSNBC of Bush on the stump yesterday. He said that Kerry critical comments (about the missing explosives) were putting the troops at greater risk!! His crowd was clapping and cheering!!
But it was NY Mayor Guilianno who yesterday actually put the blame on the troops (sorry I had head G. speaking earlier but do not have a link).

No matter how many times I hear these spins by the President, it makes it worse when I see large crowds just lapping it up!!

[maddezmom]

2. CNN's Aaron Brown, the Moonie Times still pushing the Russians

being responsible....anyone been there to see??

[Tesibria]

3. and to think that the freepers were just

praising the "genius" behind the embeds program -- way back when Drudge MIS-reported the NBC embed story.

seriously tho -- we would NOT have this but for the embeds.

thank goodness they were there!

[BUSHOUT]

4. "one-tenth of 1 percent" of the 400,000 tons destroyed...

I'm sick of hearing about this 400,000 tons. Now they're calling what's missing one-tenth of 1 percent, and the media is giving the a pass.

No doubt when they talk about 400,000 tons, are they including every gun,shell,munition,anti-aircraft,tank they find? What the hell is that?
It's more bullshit, that's what.

Here's all you need to know. An IAEA spokesperson has said that Al-QaQaa was quote:
"the main high explosives storage facility in Iraq"

So don't give me this one-tenth of 1 percent SHIT!

Dont' let ANYONE tell you this was a drop in the bucket. Don't let these lies sink in anymore.

[maddezmom]

5. just browse the first 2 links

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=940666&mesg_id=941218&page=

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Al Qa Qaa wasn't just some little storage unit

It was one of the major facilities for Saddam's WMD and conventional weapons programs. This site and Tuwaitha were the main reasons supposedly for why we invaded Iraq. Too bad Rummie and Co forgot that part after the invasion.


Image from Al Qa Qaa, Iraq.




More images at the link below:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/mamoun-imagery.htm

[lfs5]

6. Think they might be a little pissed at this point

about having embedded journalists with the troops? Wonder whose idea THAT was, 'cause I sure wouldn't want to be him/her tonight!

[maddezmom]

7. IIRC, it's was Rummy's

[leftchick]

8. I think you are right.....

One decision I am actually glad he made.

[leftchick]

9. LAT:News Video Is at Center of Storm Over Iraq Explosives

I Am Loving This Story.....

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/latimests/20041029/ts_latimes/newsvideoisatcenterofstormoveriraqexplosives&cid=2026&ncid=1480

Snip:

The video did not appear significant at the time, particularly because it did not reveal weapons of mass destruction.


But now, days before a presidential election that is turning on how President Bush (news - web sites) has handled Iraq, it appears to be the strongest evidence so far in the debate over whether a huge cache of high-grade explosives disappeared on the Americans' watch.


Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry (news, bio, voting record) this week seized on reports by the interim Iraqi government and United Nations (news - web sites) nuclear inspectors indicating that 377 tons of high-grade explosives were plundered from the sprawling Al Qaqaa weapons site after the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime on April 9, 2003.


Kerry charged that the munitions' absence shows Bush failed to plan well, secure the site and send enough troops to Iraq.

[rodeodance]

10. Munitions Issue Dwarfs the Big Picture

Nice story of the bigger picture regarding this particular storage place--that being --there are a lot more explosives on the loose in Irag and other places!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7418-2004Oct28.html

Munitions Issue Dwarfs the Big Picture

By Bradley Graham and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 29, 2004; Page A01


The 377 tons of Iraqi explosives whose reported disappearance has dominated the past few days of presidential campaigning represent only a tiny fraction of the vast quantities of other munitions unaccounted for since the fall of Saddam Hussein's government 18 months ago.

U.S. military commanders estimated last fall that Iraqi military sites contained 650,000 to 1 million tons of explosives, artillery shells, aviation bombs and other ammunition. The Bush administration cited official figures this week showing about 400,000 tons destroyed or in the process of being eliminated. That leaves the whereabouts of more than 250,000 tons unknown. MORE....

[leftchick]

12. US Military Command "Did Not Give a Shit"....

Here is a link to a salon article from a Military Intelligence soldier's point of view....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2555083&mesg_id=2555083