Soldier says he helped remove 200 tons of explosives from Iraq site

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A soldier from the army's 3rd Infantry Division has said he helped remove 200 tons of explosives, including plastic explosives, from an Iraqi weapons site from which high explosives have gone missing, a Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman said.


"He went through and moved 200 tons from those bunkers, including plastic explosives," Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita told reporters.


DiRita said the soldier, who was to appear at a Pentagon press conference, said the explosives were removed from the Al Qaqaa site "on or about April 13".


The explosives have been reported missing by the International Atomic Energy Agency and have become a major issue in the dying days of the US presidential election campaign.



more:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1520&ncid=1520&e=3&u=/afp/20041029/pl_afp/iraq_us_explosives_041029160137

Pentagon News Conference on now 12:15 pm EST....DeRita speaking now....looks a little shakey

[aden_nak]

1. So they ONLY lost 177 tons? Am I supposed to be impressed?

That is, assuming it's true. Which it's not.

[sandnsea]

138. Different stuff

That's how I understand it, different munitions and some explosives. It's not as if the entire Al Qaqaa facility contained ONLY 400,000 tons, there was alot more stuff there. Besides, people are coming out of the woodwork telling about how we didn't secure munitions dumps anywhere, that will all end up a part of this before long.

[NotSoSure]

166. Weapons stuff

I smell a rat. I wonder if Rove is behind this. This seems mighty convenient going into the final weekend.

[found object]

183. They lost 380 before or after they recovered 200

That's how I read it.

[AIJ Alom]

2. Why does A soldier have to come forward ? Why doesn't the Pentagon just

release the orders? Instead now the Pentagon is backtracking on the Russians took it story and now trying to relay that soldiers destroyed it.

[LisaLynne]

11. Excellent point.

Why trot out this soldier all by his lonesome? Doesn't make sense.

[maxrandb]

95. Don't You Get it Yet?

No one in this admin is responsible for anything.

Abu Grahab? - A few loose soldiers

NO WMD? - we were misled by the CIA and DIS

Welcomed with Flowers? - Foreign fighters

Insufficient number of troops and not enough armor? - both Clinton and Kerry's fault

Lousy economy? - Clinton, Kerry's and the American people's fault

Missing explosives? - our troops didn't do well enough

911??? - you get my point

I swear to god. Listening to this admin is like listening to the little girl Lilly Tomlin used to play. Or Steve Erkel

"did I do that?"

[politicaholic]

128. "Soldier, meet 'Under the Bus'...'Under the Bus', meet Soldier"...

Oliver North isn't the first scapegoat forced down the river to save a Bush.

[RivetJoint]

3. No Effing way do I believe that!

[dantastic]

99. FACTS

The story about removing the weapons is already having holes blown in it all over the internet. It is highly unlikely you would remove such weapons ... you destroy in place. Also it is insane to suggest that you use such explosives to destroy other weapons.

Lastly, it is not clear whether any units of the third were reported in the area at that time.

[Swamp Rat]

171. Don't vote for Bush! He's an alien lizard!

edit: Welcome to DU!

[Nancy Waterman]

4. So if he removed them, where are they?

This makes no sense. Wouldn't an officer remember giving this order?

[phantom power]

12. great question. Wonder if anybody will bother to ask?

[elehhhhna]

33. he slipped 'em into his socks and jacket-pocket. like berger. bwahahah

[BUSHOUT]

104. He said there was a fire there. n/t

[mom cat]

184. They put them in their hip pockets and marched off into the desert........

[Langis]

5. Wait a second...

Isn't DiRita the same guy who said that Russins took the explosives?

[krkaufman]

168. No, that was Shaw, the Undersecretary of something or other.

DiRita actually admitted there was no evidence to support Shaw's nonsensical "Russians ate my homework" claim. (As did Rumsfeld.)

But I expect they may have supported Shaw's doing so. The initial story always gets more coverage than the refutation, and this one was no different.

[phantom power]

6. Why just one soldier? Where are the other guys who work on

this massive explosives-moving project?

[myomy]

45. YouÕd think it would take a couple of ÒfellasÓ to move 400000 lbs.

WouldnÕt you?

[vincent_vega_lives]

105. He was the OIC of the operation

Officer In Charge

[meisje]

7. Why did they even move them - why not blow the bunkers?

Whatever

[Rolling Titanic]

133. That's simple

Because the Bunkers are still there and how would you explain the fact that the bunkers were not damaged? Duh....

[Paradise]

142. oh, y e a h, that's right. thanks Rolling Titanic.

well, at least we've finally got them thinking strategerically (sic)...

[neomonkey]

8. Hmmm I wonder if they plan on giving this soldier a name

I'd like to know more about this person they decided to trot out now, when they could have trotted him out a week ago.

[Beetwasher]

"I Done Removed 200 Tons Of 'Splosives. There In My Other Pair of Pants"

n/t

[colonel odis]

22. lol

[myomy]

71. Great pix..

Hope you donÕt mind that I copied it and emailed it to some friends.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

9. And

they are where?
Didn't the Russians move them?
What about the videotapes with the seals and documented dates/
And weren't there pictures of saddam's trucks moving them before the war?
So, what is it?
just curious.
Sorry, this crap won't fly.

[hnsez]

10. someone post this as a new thread ( i cant)

breaking news
Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons
http://www.kgw.com/iraq/stories/kgw_102904_news_iraq_weapons.4da9b88.html

the soldier saw it looted:

Two U.S. aid workers, including one from Oregon, said they reported the looting of an Iraqi weapons depot to U.S. military officials in October, 2003, but were told that there were not enough troops to seal off the facility, The Oregonian reported in its Friday editions.

"We were outraged," said Wes Hare, city manager of La Grande, who was working in Iraq as part of a rebuilding program. A colleague, Jerry Kuhaida, told the newspaper it appeared that the explosives at the Ukhaider Ammunition Storage Area had found their way to insurgents targeting U.S. forces.

"There's no question in my mind that the stuff in Ukhaider was used by terrorists," Kuhaida said from his home in Tennessee.

The men said they informed Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, but were told that the United States lacked the troops to guard the facility, which had more than 60 bunkers packed with munitions.


-we got your back John!

[Zorra]

13. "More on this story as we make up the rest of it." Spin garbage.

No one is going to believe this BS, if this were true we would have known about it a week ago.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zorra]

125. LOL. Sorry, too much contrary evidence - nobody is going to buy it.

Video of freepers head exploding:

[Whoa_Nelly]

135. Absolutely, spin city!

Guliani blames the troops in his lame duck attempt to support George. A huge gaffe. Now it can be twisted that the troops were to blame for allowing the explosives to get into the hands of terrorists by one unknown soldier stating he was part of the operation. The more this comes out, the more spin, smoke and mirrors and confusion the Bush camp will put on it. Yeah, right. As in Abu Ghraib, it was just a few bad apples...

Doesn't Karl Rove ever sleep???

[krkaufman]

170. Hilarious line. Thanks for the chuckle. n/t

[Birthmark]

14. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Ahhh....we moved 'em. Yeah.

It's hard work lying your ass off all day.

[RedEarth]

15. Oh thank God he moved them.....

BS...I don't believe it for a second....f.....liars!!!!!!!!

[FlaGranny]

16. I'm seriously beginning to wonder

if Halliburton took those explosives and had the Army help them. It's one way to get raw supplies without having to pay for them.

Edit: The more I learn, the more suspicious I get.

New edit: Halliburton steals the munitions and then bills the US Gov for "purchase" of munitions?

[hnsez]

18. please post as a new thread in breaking news

breaking news
Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons
http://www.kgw.com/iraq/stories/kgw_102904_news_iraq_weapons.4da9b88.html

[FlaGranny]

23. Who me? I'm only speculating. n/t

[hnsez]

30. START A NEW STORY WITH THIS:::(i have insufficient posts)

breaking news
Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons
http://www.kgw.com/iraq/stories/kgw_102904_news_iraq_weapons.4da9b88.html

[FlaGranny]

70. Oh, I see what you mean, but

I believe this story has already been posted to LBN. LBN only allows one thread per story. I'll do a search for it, though, just in case.

[RaleighNCDUer]

116. Now, THAT I could believe.

[Hobarticus]

17. One Private Snuffy Smith didn't do this all on his loneseome!

There should also be a paper trail for this. The services don't move anything without paperwork.

[Redroach]

187. Unless

They're out-processing a young Lt Bush.

:beer:

[auburngrad82]

19. How long would it take one man to move 200 tons or anything?

If they were moved there had to be others. Why not a whole platoon of men that said they moved the explosives?

My bet is the explosives are set up along roadsides all over Iraq.

[MotownLew]

124. I Can't Take Out Trash without Sweating... N/T

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

156. My guess is about twenty semi-tractor trailers...

It would take at least forty men with heavy lifting equipment.

All they can find is one guy?

And they can't explain where it went?

And it happened on the wrong day?

And it happened in the wrong place?

[maddezmom]

20. Maj Austin Pearson explaining why he just came forward

giving his schecule since Tuesday...he's a busy guy. :eyes:

[TahitiNut]

28. Major Pearson is bucking for Lt. Colonel.

I'm guessing he'll get it. :eyes:

[Sideways]

60. Gawd Mike I Just Yelled The Same Thing At The TV

What a PUTZ!

[Rose Siding]

92. I'm waiting for him to say he say George in AL in '73

[SSX]

177. googled Maj. Austin Pearson

came up w/ a Cpt. Austin Pearson who is an advanced ordinance instructor at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Md. Maybe this is the same guy and he already got his promotion to Maj. The website provides his e-mail address as: [e-mail]
No pics so it's a shot in the dark.

[TahitiNut]

193. Well, that's the same guy.

He said he was at Aberdeen, and he's clearly an ordinance specialist. The promotion to Major is nearly automatic. The "up or out" point is in getting the promotion to Lt. Colonel. Any Major passed over 2-3 times for promotion is "advised" (in no uncertain terms) to get their butt out of the military. I'm betting this guy will be a Lt. Colonel within 2-3 years.

[hnsez]

21. someone?

post this to breaking news
Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons
http://www.kgw.com/iraq/stories/kgw_102904_news_iraq_weapons.4da9b88.html

[hnsez]

25. ^^^>>> SOMEONE READ THIS

breaking news
Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons
http://www.kgw.com/iraq/stories/kgw_102904_news_iraq_weapons.4da9b88.html

Please post to breaking news as a new thread

[neomonkey]

32. Can you post the first couple of paragraphs?

I don't feel like filling out all that subscription info...

[hnsez]

39. here it is

Oregonian says he told military about looting of weapons

08:48 AM PDT on Friday, October 29, 2004


Associated Press



Two U.S. aid workers, including one from Oregon, said they reported the looting of an Iraqi weapons depot to U.S. military officials in October, 2003, but were told that there were not enough troops to seal off the facility, The Oregonian reported in its Friday editions.


"We were outraged," said Wes Hare, city manager of La Grande, who was working in Iraq as part of a rebuilding program. A colleague, Jerry Kuhaida, told the newspaper it appeared that the explosives at the Ukhaider Ammunition Storage Area had found their way to insurgents targeting U.S. forces.

"There's no question in my mind that the stuff in Ukhaider was used by terrorists," Kuhaida said from his home in Tennessee.


The men said they informed Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, but were told that the United States lacked the troops to guard the facility, which had more than 60 bunkers packed with munitions.


The issue of whether U.S. forces did enough to keep Iraqi munitions from insurgents has become an issue in the presidential campaign. Reports this week indicated that about 380 tons of highly powerful explosives had disappeared from a weapons depot in Al-Qaqaa after the arrival of U.S. forces.


Al Qaqaa is about 50 miles northeast of the Ukhaider site, which was used to store artillery shells and small-arms ammunition.


A Pentagon official told The Oregonian Thursday that the United States had been forced to leave many ammunition dumps in Iraq unguarded. The official, who declined to be identified, said the U.S. military had identified about 900 sensitive weapons sites in Iraq but had assigned only "a brigade-sized force" to deal with them. A brigade typically has about 3,500 soldiers.


The official said he could not speak to how Sanchez had handled the report about Ukhaider.


The aid workers were in Iraq as employees of the International City/County Management Association. They said they found the depot on Oct. 10, 2003, while on a recreational trip.


The area appeared to be guarded by a half-dozen people in their teens and early 20s who had perhaps one rifle among them, and no vehicle to patrol the complex's hundreds of acres, according to the newspaper's report. Kuhaida said it wasn't clear whether the people were working for the military, the insurgents or someone else.


The guards told Kuhaida and Hare that they regularly heard trucks coming and going at night. The men were shown an intruder's truck that was blown up one night, apparently by an errant explosive.


"The big concern we had was that something had to be done," Kuhaida said. "It was all fresh ammunition and gunpowder."


So Kuhaida pledged to try to contact Sanchez, who was commanding U.S. forces in Iraq at the time. He found Sanchez's e-mail address on the Internet and sent a message saying he wanted to pass along some information.


When one of the general's aides replied, Kuhaida sent a list of munitions found at the depot, along with coordinates of its location. And he urged the military to secure the site.


The aide sent an immediate reply that said "they were taking action," Kuhaida said.


But when Kuhaida met the aide face to face in Baghdad a month later and asked about the depot, the aide told him the military simply didn't have enough troops to guard the site.


"There's no question in my mind that these guys were sincere about it," he said of their desire to keep munitions from falling into the wrong hands. "They just didn't have the resources."


U.S. military and intelligence officials were well-aware of the facility. Declassified documents from the first Persian Gulf War show that it was bombed in 1991, as a suspected storage site for biological weapons.


On Jan. 16, 2003, before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, U.N. inspectors said they found 11 empty chemical warheads at Ukhaider. They said at the time the complex consisted of a series of bunkers built in the late 1990s.

[Fleshdancer]

52. Very good find

This article needs to be sent everywhere, not just DU.

And by the way, welcome!

[HerbieHeadhunter]

38. I just did....thanks. That's a hell of a find.

nm

[bluestateguy]

24. Boy, somebody just HAD to post this

:eyes:

[maddezmom]

37. yup, that would be me...and they are burying themselves in their lies :)

[AIJ Alom]

26. Why is Rumsfield not making this presentation ? Or a general ?

Instead they are trotting out a major !

[atreides1]

36. Because

Should a trial be convened both Rummy and Myers will have plausible deniability.

Throwing this lying sack of crap to the wolves, means nothing to Rummy.

And as a former soldier I would like to apologize for this liar.

[dennis4868]

27. THE MINNESOTA VIDEO IS FROM APRIL 18.....

this soldeir said he was there removing stuff on April 13.....hahaha....they cant get their lying story straight!

[AIJ Alom]

29. WAIT ! He just said that they had obtained buried munitions !!!

He said nothing about barrels or crates.

[Joe Turner]

34. Very unconvincing story

These guys are lying their ass off and their nervousness is evidence of it. Very unprofessional conference.

This is going to raise many more questions than answers.

[kittenpants]

47. I don't think they're trying to convince logical people though,

they're just giving their sheep (and the media) a line to quote when faced with the disconcerting facts that THEY SCREWED UP! I don't get why the video, which proves the weapons were there, gets such limited play, but every conflicting scenario the repugs throw out is covered as breaking news! aaaahhhh

[glitch]

152. yep - and welcome to DU! nt

[hughee99]

136. Ah,

Nothing convinces me more of the fact that they're lying than the fact that a person who's probably never had a public news conference in his life is nervous! This PROVES it! I think that this is very similar to the Dan Rather, Bush documents issue. Someone reports something that sounds really bad for Bush, and we jump on the bandwagon and say that we are CONVINCED that it must be true. Then, some evidence comes out that confuses the issue a little, but we remain convinced because we are sure that this one is true. Those people who say anything to the contrary are Rove's stooges, ideologues, or repuke plants. Then, even people who are supposed to be on our side start to back off on their confidence that the story is 100% accurate, but many here on the DU are still not swayed. Some of us even call them "sellouts" or "whores".

In the case of the documents, I think now most of us here have resolved ourselves to the fact that these specific documents were probably not authentic, but the sentiment in them is true. This essentially brings us right back to where we started. We all believe that * was AWOL from the TANG, but there's no proof. In fact, we're worse off than before, because we had just spent a week or so pointing to documents that have since been discredited, we've lost a little credibility ourselves.

In the case of the weapons, we have been citing the NYT articles, and a letter from the UN. (The story we jump on). The NBC was just shilling for *. The Major giving the press conference is an idiot... and he's lying, etc. (The repuke stooges) Well, sure Kerry and the DNC have both removed all references to this story, but that's just a political thing. (The people on our side who are backing off the story). Well, there are a couple of guys who are saying that another ammo dump at Ukhaider is being looted. (The facts are unclear here, but the general sentiment that the enemy is looting ammo dumps, is true.) Unlike in the documents case, I don't think we'll be really convince that the story is definitely false, but it's clear that what was being reported as fact a week ago is now speculation at best.

I'm not trying to make the case that * isn't an idiot, isn't incompetent, or that Kerry shouldn't win. All I'm saying is that I have seen this EXACT pattern of a scandal repeated over and over again here on the DU. Certainly some of the scandals are valid, but I've seen too many things we've tried to jump on at "definite proof" of something, only to end up looking like kooks in the end. It seems, like *, we've learned nothing form our mistakes either be cause we won't admit when we've made them.

[dansolo]

146. There is definite proof

The video from the Minnesota ABC affiliate, who was embedded with the troops. Even David Kay, the administration's hand-picked weapons inspector, concluded without a doubt that the material shown in the video are the explosives that are being discussed.

[hughee99]

155. The point of the story isn't

when they were there, though. The real issue is who took them and when. The video only shows when they were there at that point. It will go to discredit some claims, but it doesn't answer the real question. Could they have been removed after by terrorists? Sure. Could they have been removed and destroyed by US troops? Definately. Could they have been stolen and shipped to another country? Yup. * is F'ing up all over the place, but I'm not going to point to this example as definitive proof, because I don't know what the hell happened to the stuff, and no one else does either.

[meisje]

35. This is sad - they are just throwing out words hoping something

will stick

[Logansquare]

40. Which leaves 180 tons of explosives...but move along folks

there's nothing to see here.

[meisje]

41. Roh Oh - The media is asking questions - it's not going well

[Joe Turner]

42. LOL he says he is not an explosive expert!

Well, why don't get the guys who do know about the explosives. They are imploding along with Chimp's campaign.

[maddezmom]

46. and he didn't see any "seals"

[Lars39]

43. Shouldn't there be paper backing this up?

I'm not familiar with how the military records events, but it seems like something this important should be detailed somewhere.

[Rose Siding]

44. Aren't the photos and video from the 18th?

[AIJ Alom]

48. He did not see any IAEA seals !!!!

The soldier just said it ! This press conference is bull !!!!

The major also said they were focused on finding phosphorous bullets !!!!!

[Joe Turner]

49. The Press is not buying the Bullshit

What a pathetic confernce. It's all bumbling spin, This is going to sink Chimp.

[meisje]

54. That is why they have these unkowns running the conference

It's such a lie, not even Rumsfeld will spew it

[catmandu57]

50. The trouble is

there will people who drink this koolaid and ask for seconds, those people are lost to us, in our society they are a dead wewight dragging us to the bottom.

However, there are many people who will be asking the same questions that have been asked here. They, are worth saving, and we're going to need everyone of them Tuesday.

[Cerridwen]

51. Larry DiRita - Heritage Foundation connection - FYI

Larry DiRita -- Department of Defense
The Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Chief of Staff)

Larry Di Rita joined the Department of Defense after serving as Legislative Director, then Chief of Staff, for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison from 1996 until 2001. Prior to that, he served as Policy Director to the 1996 Presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Phil Gramm. Previously, he served at the Heritage Foundation as Deputy Director of Foreign Policy and Defense Studies. Larry is veteran of the U.S. Navy. His final tour was on the Joint Staff under General Colin Powell. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and he has a Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

from this link: http://www.results.gov/leadership/bio_124.html

emphasis mine.

[UL_Approved]

143. POST IT

We need this stuff posted in LBN. The more posts the better.

[Cerridwen]

149. I'm not sure what you mean

if you mean this needs to be a new thread in LBN; technically, it doesn't qualify.

It might only qualify for General Discussion; not even GD Campaign.

[starroute]

164. Larry DiRita and the Abu Ghraib coverup

"Another big stack of pages is causing concern over at the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is investigating abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Committee aides discovered belatedly that their copy of the 6,000-page report on prison abuses produced by Major General Antonio M. Taguba might not be complete. The copy they got after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's testimony on May 7 was a thick document with 106 annexes, and it was quickly arranged into separate binders. Only later did the committee stack up all the pages, compare them with a ream of 6,000 blank pages and decide that at least 2,000 pages were missing. 'We'd certainly like to know why they're missing,' said Republican Senator John McCain. Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita insisted, 'If there is some shortfall in what was provided, it was an oversight.' Committee staff members haven't actually counted the pages. Chairman John Warner will investigate this week to see what is missing."

http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Who_leaked_the_%27Taguba_Report%27%3F

[wishlist]

53. Press is hitting hard= Military guy says they saw none with IAEA seals

Pentagon is trying to steer answers to cover their butt, despite military guy there saying they didn't identify the HMX or see any IAEA seals at all!

Martha Raddatz, Barbara Starr asking tough questions, getting less than satisfactory answers.

[Emboldened Chimp]

55. There were pictures of the seals...

How the hell could they not see them?

[wishlist]

68. Weren't told to look for IAEA seals and HMX-can't say same explosives

Press is trying to pin him down that we are talking about the same material in question. Military guy says he cannot say it is the same material. Pentagon guy keeps interrupting and he admits they cannot give a definitive answer. Scrambling for cover for sure.

Martha Raddatz again hitting on theme that missing explosives were sealed, Army guy says he saw no seals. She is going strong, Pentagon guy says they don't know about this, can't answer

Soldier says he was there 4/13/01, Pentagon guy breaks in again, not wanting to answer about the 4/18/01 video

[dqueue]

56. How...

On or about April 13? The ABC video was shot April 18, IAEA seals intact. Won't IAEA pull the seal serial numbers and confirm the contents therein?

How does ANYONE, any single person with a brain, believe this administration? It's inconceivable...

[AIJ Alom]

57. The IAEA warned the US about these specific high explosives, yet this

major has no idea about the seals, the specific weapons, or even the specific containers in these weapons.

[AIJ Alom]

59. Note he also said that destroying these munitions were not a priority.

I hope we get a word for word transcript.

[Emboldened Chimp]

58. Did someone ask the obvious question...

Why did it take FIVE DAYS for you guys to figure this out?

[Name removed]

66. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freedom_to_read]

72. pretty weak "body slam" if this is it

[Name removed]

89. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[The_Casual_Observer]

93. How about a fatal blow

Blow it outta your ass freep.

[freedom_to_read]

94. how was he wrong?

still no proof, or even evidence, that the Bush administration safeguarded these explosives.

this press conference is nothing but spin...

[Greyhawk]

102. I smell a setup

This smells like Rove:

* gets Allawi to talk to the UN who leak it to the NYT.

Because it's a big story, Kerry runs with it (it's the best way to eat into the Democrats who are afraid of terrorists, but don't like the Iraq war)

The Pentagon produces photos to make Kerry look bad on the Friday before the election?

no way.

[The_Casual_Observer]

114. What photographs?

Clearly this was a bullshit session to get the news out of the papers.
Actually this makes it worse for him because their evidence was so weak. It actually makes it look like they are covering something up.

[Greyhawk]

119. You could be right.

I think you could be right.

However, all you have to do is cast doubt and people can change their minds. Don't forget that * and Shamey have been saying "rush to judgment".. If just enough FUD is put out on a Friday it can have an effect.

Some people will just believe the military photos and announcements, tho'. They don't realize that this is a Pentagon run by *.

[NotSoSure]

174. I agree. Kerry's response to this will be the preverbial "damned

if you do, damned if you don't" respond to this. The Swift boat vets will jump all over this if he discredits this soldier.

[FatDave]

178. Respectfully disagreeing

I agree. Kerry's response to this will be the preverbial "damned if you do, damned if you don't" respond to this. The Swift boat vets will jump all over this if he discredits this soldier.

I disagree. Kerry doesn't need to discredit this soldier, because it appears that he was honest and did remove some weapons, just not the weapons in question. Kerry could use this little dog-and-pony show to say "...and I would never push a soldier into a press conference to try to cover up my mistakes". He can totally turn it against them and, combined with Giuliani's comments from yesterday, can show that the Bushies have a complete lack of respect for our troops.

[mac56]

123. Welcome to DU.

Having said that, you're as wrong as you can be.

Don't feel bad. Stick around and learn something.

[Greyhawk]

129. Can't live without learning...

I'm absolutely clued in to learning from everyone I can. It's so hard to discern the truth from the media. I've lived long enough to know that when the truth comes out it's usually waaaaay too late to correct things that were put in motion. And how many people have to die before we realize the truth is right there?

[mac56]

151. Actually, my answer was intended for "Tadellin".

Sorry if I placed it wrong.

Welcome, just the same!

Add on edit: I see his comments have been deleted now.

[Rolling Titanic]

140. What a laugh

GWB: "Kerry's jumpin to conclusions without the facts"

What do you call the invasion of Iraq dipshit!!!

[Lerkfish]

150. here's my "fatal blow"

go ahead, pull my finger.

[carolinalady]

96. try several weeks

[Sinnerman]

61. Lame Damage Control... There Still Lying.....

[AIJ Alom]

62. the media is eating the major alive (unintentionally because he had no

idea what he was doing), so now this Pentagon civilian is trying to cover up and slipping !!!

[AIJ Alom]

67. again he did not see any sees, and the civilian pentagon official says

that the seals were probably removed before.

[Joe Turner]

63. It's so clear that BushCo got a flunkie who wasn't sure what he was doing

or even where he was to go along with the BushCo spin to cloud the facts of the raiding of AlQaQa.

Press ain't buying it.

THis is hurting Bush.

[Emboldened Chimp]

64. That's it, Bullshit is confirmed...Reporter asked if they could

definitively confirm whether or not they removed the high explosives,.

Answer: "I dunno".


FUCKING PATHETIC!

[The_Casual_Observer]

65. He had a scale?

but he didn't know what it was or what he did with it? This is actually scary, they are willing to make up shit like this to cover their asses.

[nolabels]

85. Yea, and get other people killed in the process

If the place had a jungle, it would sound like Nam on SUPER-ROIDS

[meisje]

69. They mentioned the video - DOD being eaten alive by the media

[AIJ Alom]

73. Did you just see the Pentagon guy slip ? The CNN reporter with the glasses

asked about the April 18th video and the Pentagon official said that those are the guys that asked for the support and he trailed off....haha !!! The major was there on April 13.

[timefordrinking.com]

74. They are soooo full of shit!

The Bush gang is like some group of old-timey movie villians. This is getting funnier everyday!

[Joe Turner]

75. The only point of this OBVIOUS Lie Fest is to

give Right wingers enough talking points over the weekend to make it look like this ammo was destroyed and buy Chimp enough time to hide the truth until after the election. No wonder Rummy does not want to be involved in this campaign event.

[carolinalady]

76. This is too funny

the reporters are blowing him away. I don't think this helped them too much. Have gun shoot foot.

[carolinalady]

83. fox totally raising the white flag

reporter stumbling well...ah.. i guess we will let you decide if that was effective or not. :shrug:

[carolinalady]

88. ok when all ekse fails lets roll out the latest Fox news poll

with George in a commanding lead of course! Can not wait to hear what they have to say after Tuesday. Kerry is smart to let the media make his case for him now.

[wishlist]

77. Appears they left on 4/13/01 without getting the explosives in question

Reporters hammering hard, appears military left bunkers that weren't checked and weren't emptied out and weren't secured because military was not specifically told to look for the most dangerous type of explosives at question. Military guy knew nothing about HMX.

Press is nailing them good but Pentagon guy scrambled to end the conference before further damage to their spin!!

[AIJ Alom]

78. The Pentagon guy lied. the major said no one was guarding the facility.

The Pentagon guy tried to cover by saying that the 101st Airborne was there. Not so ! They were ordered to Baghdad asap !!!

[trueblew]

79. Changing their story again...

raises more questions.

[The Magistrate]

80. Clearly, Ma'am

This officer is not refering to the explosives sealed by the International Atomic Enegy Administration. There was at the al Qa Qaa dump a tremendous quantity and variety of munitions and materiel: he may well have supervised the removal of some of it, but not the explosives in question that the U.N. agency had placed under seal, that are now missing and almost certainly in the hands of Iraqi insurgents.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[maddezmom]

84. yes, clearly...since he didn't see any of the seals

:)

[supervan]

108. more fox spin

stating as facts that the maj removed 200 tons of the explosives (what they did say is that it was 200 tons of general ammo)

fox alert shows: pentagon said there was probably as little as 3 tons of rdx there (when did they say that in the press conf?)

go fox go spin spin spin

nobody buys it!

[maddezmom]

120. he removed 250 tons of munitions, and doesn't know if they contained

any of the explosives in question. That is the FACT.

[gardenia]

81. OUTRAGEOUS!! THE PENTAGON MARCING AN EVERYDAY SOLDIER TO REPORT EVENTS

We should be writing the national media......every outlet about the administration's desperate attempt to put a personal face on this story..........it makes it look like Kerry is downing our troops now...HAVE WE EVER SEEN THE PENTAGON MARCH OUT AN EVERYDAY SOLDIER BEFORE ON ANY SUBJECT?

OUTRAGEOUS

[Sinnerman]

180. Should have never gone there Saddam is not a threat

Bush is a threat

[ArnoldLayne]

82. What an awful performance for a press conference

they don't about seals,press isn't buying this they are hitting hard. They don't know anything,they are not sure I kind of feel sorry for the soldier he is trying to do his duty. Rumsfeld and Bush are letting this guy and the military hang out by themselves in the hurricane which is their fault. Female reporter now hitting Rumsfeld hard now. He keeps talking about one one thousand of explosives they don't know about.

[The_Casual_Observer]

86. The guy was there by himself with a hand truck or something?

They will later say that this was all a misunderstanding, and he was someplace else. This is tragic.

[Julius Civitatus]

87. I don't believe a thing

I have a few questions here:

• Why they didn't come forward earlier in this matter?
  
  
• Why the Pentagon didn't produce an order to remove the explosives?
  
  
• Where are the explosives?
  
  
• Why they didn't inform the International Atomic Energy Agency of the whereabouts of these explosives?
  
  
• Did the soldier remove these 20 tons of explosive all by himself? That's impressive!
  

I'm sorry, but this story smells. Is this guy a John O'Neill type? You know, a Republican hack in uniform ready to do the bidding of his masters and lie on command, or is he a legit, impartial party in this mess?

------

By the way, hi there everyone. Although I've been an avid reader of DU for years, this is actually my very first post in these boards. I've been quite involved in web-based activism for almost a decade, but this is my first time as posting member in the DU forum. So, hi everyone. You are awesome!!!

[Melinda]

101. Hi there Julius, welcome to DU!!

Salient points - don't hold your breath waiting for an answer! And now, I am off to read your blog!!

[karlrschneider]

115. Welcome out of the lurking closet, JC!

:toast:
:D

[Festivito]

141. Welcome. You've picked a hectic time.

Keep up the good work.

[geniph]

148. An earlier post documented a link between this fellow

and Richard Mellon Scaife's far-right Heritage Foundation. So yes, this is a Republican hack in uniform ready to take one for his team.

Pity they didn't get his script straight, though - he keeps blowing it on dates and places. Oopsie!

[Cats Against Frist]

90. MSNBC just shot them down

Said that the press conference didn't mean a damn thing in relation to the missing HMX.

Spin, spin, spin. They're just trying to confuse people -- and some of us are falling for it.

[arKansasJHawk]

97. This won't stick

Can we please promote the pentagon reporters to cover the White House? They performed actual journalism out there today.

I don't see this bit of "news" changing anything to do with the main story. I especially loved the bit at the end when the dark-haired female reporter with glasses (CNN?) hammered them on changing stories, sticking it to Rummy. HAH!

[leftchick]

91. No Seals = No Story....

He saw no seal so this is a nonstory and a waste of time for all. I wonder why they didn't bring out any of the soldiers in the video? :eyes:

[MIMIC]

100. Those reporters asked the right questions

He didn't see the seals and therefore his story is moot.

[dantastic]

98. Removed weapons? ROTFL!

The story about removing the weapons is already having holes blown in it all over the internet. It is highly unlikely you would remove such weapons ... you destroy in place. Also it is insane to suggest that you use such explosives to destroy other weapons.

Lastly, it is not clear whether any units of the 3rd. were reported in the area at that time. This should be checked.

[semillama]

117. Well, I for one am relieved.

since they got SOME of the explosives, that means we only have to worry about the equivalent of 360,000 potential Pan Ams over Lockerbie, not 760,000. Whew!

even if they did removed some of the explosives, they obviously never finished the job and that is just as damning, if not WORSE.

"yeah, we started to take care of the problem, but sort of got distracted...at least we got some of it..."

Your job was to get ALL of IT. You FAILED.

[wishlist]

103. Barbara Starr made clear Pentagon guy is a political operative for Rummy

On CNN with Wolfie, she says the Major did not tell them that what they removed was the explosives in question and could not say he saw any seals.

I love that she is acknowledging the political nature of the Pentagon responses to help Bush and that what Major talked about was explosives removed BEFORE the 4/18/04 video so it does not answer the important questions about the IAEA stuff shown on 4/18/01 video

Disinformation attempt for sure by Pentagon under guise of providing
helpful information but only due to Press hammering did they have to reveal that they still can't account for the missing extremely dangerous IAEA sealed explosives.

[leftofthedial]

106. this spin and the several day panic in the bushturd's camp

over the explosives story is aimed 100% at the bushturd's base.

they won't change any minds, but they fear they'll lose part of their base to yet more concerns about the bushturd's actual security record.

Plus, they have something very major to hide. I think this is the tip of a very large, nasty iceberg.

[juliagoolia]

107. M-o-m I WAS TOO AT THE MOVIE! Dern it!

Ok, have you ever heard a teen try to make excuses for not being where they were suppose to be.

Thats what we got today.. bullshit and lies. twist and spin.

[dhinojosa]

109. APRIL 13TH???? APRIL 13TH?????

Ooops sorry Pentagon that was the wrong date.

[JPZenger]

122. Did the Soldier Look Like Ahab the American on the Video?

Did the soldier that the Pentagon trotted out look anything like that "Ahab the American" guy on the new terrorism warning video?

They should rename Karl Rove's staff as "The Gang that Couldn't Lie Straight."

These cover-up stories are changing faster than ever. What may sink them in the end is that many professionals in the Pentagon hate Field Marshall Von Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and their cohorts.

[Joe Turner]

110. This conference of lies is only reinforcing that Bush is lying

LOL. The whole thing is a transparent effort to confuse the facts and all they did was raise many more questions than they answered.

I mean if this guy does not know what kind of explosives his company was handling OR exactly what location they were SUPPOSEDLY taking it from then A) why is this guy here talking to the media and B) where are the guys in his company that DID handle the explosives and know what kind of explosives they are.

I hope the networks play this conference of political spin and lies over and over again.

Bush you are toast.

[Willy Lee]

111. Thanks for the blow-by-blow for those of us at work.

I could see the poor guy squirming in my mind.

[Snellius]

112. Why are they classifying RDX with plastic explosive?

I thought RDX is supposed to be a white powder?

[PBX9501]

121. RDX in reagent form

can be a powder or granular form. It is mixed with a plasticizing agent or other chemical compounds to make it do what is supposed to do. Explosives for special purposes are usually made in batches. Explosives used in munitions vary widley in formulation. Some are designed for heat resistance others to shape specific requirements.

C4 is RDX based for example.

This is published info.(for my protection not to insult you)

Edit: Add detail

[Snellius]

132. Interesting but not quite the issue.

Major Pearson testified that he did not know whether the explosives he removed included RDX or not, but he did claim to have removed "plastic explosive". DiRita then chimed in to say that the Pentagon considered RDX as the same as plastic explosive. RDX can be turned into plastic explosive, but it seems a stretch to assume that by removing plastic explosive -- which I assume to be in a plasticized form -- that is the same as removing RDX. Are there other bases for plastic explosives other than RDX? And can RDX be used in other forms?

[PBX9501]

137. Yes

RDX is a 1.1 agent in any form. IE high energy explosive agent that will mass detonate.

Any form it is in it is dangerous, same for HTX. Was answering the other poster, not trying to go OT.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

131. RDX is not usually used on its own...

it usually is combined with other chemicals to turn it into plastic explosive.

For example RDX is the explosive used in C-4, the most commonly known plastic explosive.

[Ganja Ninja]

113. OK so 200 tons shouldn't be too hard to find.

Where's it at now?
Show us the order to pick it up.
Tell us where it was taken.
Was it destroyed?
If so where at.

Give us some definitive proof that this soldier isn't just saying this for whatever reason.

[stevietheman]

118. This will backfire

This will backfire. It was the Bush campaign that lost several campaign days to Kerry's attacks. All this news conference will do is muddy the issue and raise more questions. It's far from a slam-dunk against Kerry. If anything, most of the damage against Bush will remain.

On top of all that, also consider the answer to reporters that basically read "We don't know that the explosives we're talking about are the same as the explosives in question". Wow.

Rove miscalculated, again.

[mac56]

127. Welcome, stevietheman.

Good analysis.

[Supersedeas]

126. looks like the Pentagon truly misses the artful deception of Vicky Clark

[IowaGuy]

130. Bottom line...

this Major does not know if what he destroyed was what was sealed by the IAEA....does not know if he was even specifically in Al QuaQua -does know he was in a much larger area that included part of Al Quaqua...did not at any time see IAEA seals, even though there are pictures of these seals at this facility 5 days after he was there...this has got to be the most inept, clumsy Friday news dump by the * administration yet...

He does appear to be an honest and earnest fellow. This does appear to show that at lower levels there were tactical attempts to deal with this stuff, it certainly shows that at the top levels they were clueless and unconcerned about it. After all, they had important things to deal with, like protecting the files within the oil ministry building.

[ktowntennesseedem]

169. From what I saw,

the press room reporters weren't buying one bit of the crap they were spinning. I felt sorry for the Major, he was doing his best to be honest and tell what he knew, but the Pentagon spokesmen had to keep interpreting what the Major said and trying to fill in the gaps with whatever popped into his head on the spur of the moment.

Saw most of the press conference at lunch, listened in a bit to Rush on the radio coming back to work. According to Rush, this all just proves that Kerry rushed to judgment and is making wild, false accusations against Dubya... LMAO!!!!

[A Simple Game]

190. I agree with both of you that the Major was just telling the truth.

I got the impression that he was very busy around that time. Sounds like they only took care of the munitions that were unsealed.

I caught part of Hannity's show on the radio on the way back from a Dr. appointment, I don't believe he watched the same news conference that I saw. I couldn't count all the misinformation and outright lies he told on his show.

[Homerr]

134. Any AUDIO or VIDEO of press conference on web???

[JerseygirlCT]

139. Ok, maybe I'm being dense.

How does that help their case? It demonstrates that we had control over the explosives at some point, and lost it, apparently. Or are these supposed to still be in our control somewhere?

[yardwork]

144. Yeah. I thought yesterday's story was that the explosives were gone

before we invaded. Now today somebody comes forward and says he moved a little bit after we invaded?

Doesn't that contradict the WH spin of yesterday? More flip flops from the stupid WH. They can't even get their lies straight.

[Greyhawk]

161. It's a grasp at anything at all -> Desperation

They're just trying to do anything to turn this tide of atrocious news for *. It's too late!

[IowaGuy]

145. Does any one remember the sand storm...

that nearly paralyzed the movement of our troops during the early days of thsi operation? Did the dates of that correspond to any of the time frame we are talking about here? If so, it seems plausible that this stuff could have been looted without any way of military surveillance being able to detect it, unless they had troops sitting on all of it 24/7.

[louis-t]

157. Excellent point!

Deserves a look.

[mountainvue]

147. Bullshit.

eom

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

173. REMOVING AMMO

YOU ARE SO RIGHT - BUT LET'S CALL IT FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS: BUSHIT!

[Goldmund]

153. They just dug a deeper hole

An obvious attempt at coverup, and a pathetic one. He was there 5 days before the tape was shot, didn't see any IAEA seals, doesn't know what they removed, and what did was "destroyed in a fire".

I just cannot believe how much I overestimated Rove and Co.

[UL_Approved]

154. Is the total really higher than 380 tons?

If this is the best that they could come up with for a story, I'll bet the guy IS sticking to facts, but this is the wrong stuff. It does, however, raise a question as to what the rest of the ordinance in Iraq had for surveillance and security. Could there have been a lot more unaccounted for material? Where did any of the explosives in Iraq end up anyway? With further investigation, we may find that the al-QaQaa case was one of many, and that the total is much higher. More investigation required.

[monolithic_juggernut]

158. the RUSSIANS took it!! 8)

This cabal of criminals and lunatics is certainly getting nervous.
What the hell happened to the russians stealing this stuff? Is the 3rd Infantry Division a part of the Red Army now? Has it always been?!
I want evidence which proves the russians took the MISSING explosives, damn it.
After all, until today the repugs were claiming the explosives were MISSING and suddenly - they are not missing.
This is crazy, much too crazy even for these guys - or at least it *used to be*.

--------------------------
Heya DU folks, btw! My first post, w00t!
I've been reading for a few months, great site, time to pump some dough into my paypal and contribute.

[The_Casual_Observer]

162. I'm TCO and I approve this message:

Welcome to DU. Nice to see a non freeper sign up today.

[dhinojosa]

159. Is it me, or did the major totally omit the words "Al-Qaqaa"?

The major was all over the map at the pentagon conference! He probably said Al-Qaqaa once. But he never said, "I was right there, exactly, right there, pinpointed right there". I believe the major when he said that he moved 200 tons of stuff. We don't know what stuff was removed, or where exactly he was.

This feels like a smokescreen.

[LynnTheDem]

160. Explosives are NOT munitions...soldier isn't talking about RDX and HMX

What he removed was NOT HMX & RDX...apples to oranges.

bush sure is tossing all but the kitchen sink to try & confuse people.

The explosives were THERE at Al QaQaa AFTER bush's invasion. BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE.

Period.

[maddezmom]

163. TRANSCRIPT POSTED @ CNN

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/29/nfcnn.01.html

[Tyrone Slothrop]

165. The best thing about this...

Is that the inherent contradictions and flimsiness of this press conference should keep the Missing Explosives story in high profile throughout the weekend news cycle.

I'm a little surprised that * et al didn't make a more forceful effort at changing the topic before the weekend.

Btw, along with many other posts I've been seeing lately, this is my very first post here at DU. I've been lurking for a year or two and absolutely love this site. You all do amazing things for this country, and I'm awfully proud to be affiliated.

[hippiechick]

167. One solider ? All by himself ? What a busy man !!

:eyes:


:hippie:

[Steelangel]

172. Rrrrrrigggght

I don't believe that story at all.

[Hornito]

175. Rush Limpballs has already grabbed this, and is proclaiming

it as proof of Bush's innocence, and Kerry's doom. No doubt Hannity and all the rest of the radio fascists will be singing this tune all day. Lying bastards!

[quadgemini]

176. DiRita sees a ghost

Never have I seen a PR pro, in a live national press conference, look so much as if he had just seen a ghost. DiRita obviously just realized, in the middle of the briefing, that Major Pearson was not the closer he had thought this would be. A look of sheer terror swept over poor Larry about the time it came out that Peason hauled off his assigned ammo on April 13 -- FIVE DAYS BEFORE the video shot by KSTP! Keep those dates clear in your minds, because they mean Pearson proves NOTHING, except that massive amounts of explosives were STILL unsecured another five days later. The UN/IAEA inspections had been working (their seals were unbroken) but Bush turned al Qaqaa into the biggest open terrorist arsenal ever seen.

quadgemini, seattle

[Seabiscuit]

179. *ONE* soldier personally removed 200 tons of explosives April 13???

GMAFB! This is the only witness to accept Rummy's bribe, so this is the best lie they can come up with???

Was he some kind of Superman with super powers?

Pathetic.

[Disturbed]

182. Cover Up

It's usually the Cover Up attempts that gets the criminals busted.

[Seabiscuit]

192. That's what happened in the Nixon days...

but it's never happened during Bushista's regime.

Hopefully, if Kerry wins, he'll appoint an attorney general who will file massive criminal charges against all the Bushistas across the board on every issue.

That should amount to well over 100 criminal convictions.

[DeadManInc]

181. weapons

I smell bullshit.

[hippywife]

185. Besides the fact that this press conference

is a total failure (is anyone surprised with the track record this bunch has?) I really think they paraded out a regular soldier instead of a higher ranking officer because they are trying to deflect from Guiliani's comments last night and place a boots on the ground guy in a place where Kerry would have to dispute him and therefore be blaming the troops as Guiliani did. Also, we are so used to the higher ranking officers and the pentagon lying to us, they might have thought parading this guy out would by them a little more credibility. This was planned this very specifically planned this way. But just like with the aftermath of the invasion, they failed to plan for the aftermath created by the questions that revealed this is all crap.

The other thing that just struck me is that if the oil ministry was so much more a security priority than these munitions dumps, what do you all think might have been in the papers there? Maybe a little incriminating evidence of large scale trading despite the sanctions and aside from the Oil for Food program by some highly placed individuals?
Maybe?

[maddezmom]

186. AP link - Fate of Missing Iraq Weapons Unresolved

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The fate of up to 377 tons of high-grade explosives missing from an Iraqi depot remained unresolved a week after it became a hot issue in the presidential election. The Pentagon (news - web sites) offered piecemeal information about operations at the base but was unable to say where the weapons went.


Some analysts are questioning the relevance of the debate, noting 377 tons is a pittance compared to the unclaimed arsenal left behind after Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime fell. Bush administration officials have repeatedly said some 400,000 tons of munitions and explosives have been either destroyed or are slated to be destroyed. They do not mention that, by military estimates, a minimum of 250,000 more tons remains unaccounted for.


On Friday, an Army major said his company had recovered and destroyed some of the munitions left at the Al-Qaqaa depot south of Baghdad after the invasion. A Pentagon spokesman asserted some of that was of the same type as the missing explosives that have become a major issue in the campaign.


Maj. Austin Pearson said his team removed the 250 tons of plastic explosives and other munitions on April 13, 2003 — 10 days after U.S. forces first reached the Al-Qaqaa site.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=3&u=/ap/20041030/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_weapons

[Lone_Star_Dem]

188. Wait they were supposed to have been there on April 3

At the first site, troops reportedly found thousands of boxes of full vials, along with manuals on chemical warfare. They also found atropine, used to counter the effects of nerve agents.

According to Col. John Peabody, engineer brigade commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, the materials were discovered at the Latifiya Explosives and Ammunition Plant al Qa Qaa, about 25 miles south of Baghdad.

PBS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/chemical_04-04-03.h...

Why leave it then and come back later to do something about it?

[acmavm]

189. Did he move it all himself? I'm impressed.

I'd read the article but I'm so sick of people willing to sell their souls for the worthless asshole that is bush* I just say screw it. I've got a kid and a grandkid (12 and 9) that lie better than these guys do. And a lot less.

[funnymanpants]

191. Story is refuted here

http://juancole.com/

Juan Cole is one of the foremost experts in the US on Iraq.

"Then he let it slip that his unit was at al-Qaqaa on April 13, before the KSTP video was shot of US soldiers examining HMX there. So Pearson's unit could not have removed all the HMX at that time. Since he didn't see IAEA seals, it seems likely that his unit didn't remove any HMX."

"Conclusion: The DiRita performance today was embarrassing to Bush. His Pentagon spokesman doesn't know the difference between RDX and HMX and he hasn't debriefed his chief witness, Maj. Pearson, so as to avoid being blindsided when the major says he never saw IAEA seals, that looters could have carted off tons of HMX quickly and easily, and that his unit was at al-Qaqaa before the date of the damning KSTP video!"