Al Qaqaa Facility: Making the World More Dangerous in Iraq

[Jeff Boler]

Boy the democrats and their conspiracies...

Guess what? This stuff was missing along time ago. From the Drudgereport:

60 MINS PLANNED BUSH MISSING EXPLOSIVES STORY FOR ELECTION EVE

News of missing explosives in Iraq -- first reported in April 2003 -- was being resurrected for a 60 MINUTES election eve broadcast designed to knock the Bush administration into a crises mode.

Jeff Fager, executive producer of the Sunday edition of 60 MINUTES, said in a statement that "our plan was to run the story on October 31, but it became clear that it wouldn't hold..."

Elizabeth Jensen at the LOS ANGELES TIMES details on Tuesday how CBS NEWS and 60 MINUTES lost the story [which repackaged previously reported information on a large cache of explosives missing in Iraq, first published and broadcast in 2003].

The story instead debuted in the NYT. The paper slugged the story about missing explosives from April 2003 as "exclusive."

An NBCNEWS crew embedded with troops moved in to secure the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility on April 10, 2003, one day after the liberation of Iraq.

According to NBCNEWS, the explosives were already missing when the American troops arrived.

It is not clear who exactly shopped an election eve repackaging of the missing explosives story.

The LA TIMES claims: The source on the story first went to 60 MINUTES but also expressed interest in working with the NY TIMES... "The tip was received last Wednesday."

CBSNEWS' plan to unleash the story just 24 hours before election day had one senior Bush official outraged.

"Darn, I wanted to see the forged documents to show how this was somehow covered up," the Bush source, who asked not to be named, mocked, recalling last months CBS airing of fraudulent Bush national guard letters.

You know, with all of the conspiracies that the liberals have thrown out in an attempt to sway the election, John Kerry should be winning by a landslide. Now why isn't that happening?

Bogus, BS Story. CBS News strikes again.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

So where is the reporting from the supposed first-in NBC news crew? Why would they then report, from an embedded position, 3 weeks later?

And reading a report in, say, the Times, does not count as conspiracy theory, I hate to tell you. Sitting in a bunker with a tinfoil hat, praying to Our Great Leader to save us from feminists, liberals, and tree-huggers might be, though.

 

[Ender]

From Intelligence Digest:

"Since the beginning of the year, Libya has destroyed more than 3,000 unfilled bomb casings intended for chemical/biological agents and consolidated the agent inventory in a single storage location to make inspection easier for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Libya has also acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention and is now preparing for the destruction of its chemical stocks under OPCW supervision."



All you really need are bomb casings, explosives, and chemical/biological agents to create WMD....if Libya had these, you know damn well Iraq did too.

And I am an Aerospace engineer. I've worked on projects such as: Sparrow missiles, Stinger Missiles, Trident submarines, MK50 Torpedoes, F-16's, F-18's, the B-2 Bomber, IFF (Interrogation Friend or Foe),Various Satellites, and the Mars Rover...shrugs.

 

[Flatlander]

if Libya had these, you know damn well Iraq did too.

Not with any degree of certainty. Not as anything I could define as knowledge. It is speculative at best.

 

[Jeff Boler]

So where is the reporting from the supposed first-in NBC news crew? Why would they then report, from an embedded position, 3 weeks later?

And reading a report in, say, the Times, does not count as conspiracy theory, I hate to tell you. Sitting in a bunker with a tinfoil hat, praying to Our Great Leader to save us from feminists, liberals, and tree-huggers might be, though.

Timing of theft
of Iraq explosives
remains a mystery

U.S. troops didn't find
materiel in initial search

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6323933/

 

[TwistofFat]

And reading a report in, say, the Times, does not count as conspiracy theory, I hate to tell you. Sitting in a bunker with a tinfoil hat, praying to Our Great Leader to save us from feminists, liberals, and tree-huggers might be, though.

So me sitting in my basement encased in Al foil makes me nuts? Damn tree-huggers...always watching from their leafy hideouts disguised as birds, watching...

 

[PeachMonkey]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6323933/

Thanks for re-posting the same article that two of us already posted above.

You'll note that *both* the NY Times and MSNBC point out that this theft was first reported by the IAEA and Iraqi authorities. Are they conspiring to win the election for Kerry, as you accuse CBS News and the NY Times of doing?

If those news organizations did not discuss this story, would they then be doing their jobs as reporters, or should good Americans just shut up and remain silent when faced with stories of this nature?

 

[PeachMonkey]

All you really need are bomb casings, explosives, and chemical/biological agents to create WMD....if Libya had these, you know damn well Iraq did too.

Other than the fact that those chemical/biological agents haven't been found (but don't let facts slow you down)...

How is this at all relevant to the Al Qaqaa depot of high-explosives and machine tools?

 

[Ender]

Not with any degree of certainty. Not as anything I could define as knowledge. It is speculative at best.

*L.....and Elvis is still alive right?

 

[Ender]

Other than the fact that those chemical/biological agents haven't been found (but don't let facts slow you down)...

How is this at all relevant to the Al Qaqaa depot of high-explosives and machine tools?

So the empty Sarin cases mean nothing?*L

 

[Jeff Boler]

If those news organizations did not discuss this story, would they then be doing their jobs as reporters, or should good Americans just shut up and remain silent when faced with stories of this nature?

No, but you should consider the source. And if they are just reporting news, that's one thing. If they are holding out on stories until days before a presidential election, then that's something else. Had this been reported when it actually happened, then it would be news. This was nothing more than an attempt at swaying things Kerry's way. If you want to believe everything they tell you at face value, then that's your business. However, you while find yourself more ignorant and uninformed over time.

 

[PeachMonkey]

*L.....and Elvis is still alive right?

I see how you relate these two points:

-- Iraq's WMD deposits were destroyed by UN weapons inspectors, and continued to not be found by further inspections by the UN before the war, and the United States after the war. Evidence has also been produced showing that senior US intelligence analysts knew this before the war

-- Elvis has been claimed to still be alive by numerous housewives

I guess a thick-headed Gomer like me still doesn't get how these relate, or moreover, how it's at all relevant to the thread.

 

[Flatlander]

*L.....and Elvis is still alive right?

A most logical statement of your postition. Well articulated.

 

[PeachMonkey]

If they are holding out on stories until days before a presidential election, then that's something else. Had this been reported when it actually happened, then it would be news.

The letter from the IAEA to the Iraqi interim government was on October 10th, 2004. Are they more ignorant and uninformed over time? Are they trying to sway things Kerry's way with such a late report?

If you want to believe everything they tell you at face value, then that's your business. However, you while find yourself more ignorant and uninformed over time.

I don't believe what the press tells me at face value, given their rampant inability to see through the lies of this (and other) administrations. I do tend to believe the IAEA, whose documents are actually reproduced in the NY Times article (that it's becoming clearer and clearer that you didn't read), a bit more.

If one is to truly avoid being ignorant, and to fully consider sources, it helps to actually read them. All of them.

 

[Flatlander]

No, but you should consider the source. And if they are just reporting news, that's one thing. If they are holding out on stories until days before a presidential election, then that's something else. Had this been reported when it actually happened, then it would be news. This was nothing more than an attempt at swaying things Kerry's way. If you want to believe everything they tell you at face value, then that's your business. However, you while find yourself more ignorant and uninformed over time.

Come on, now.

We are not addressing the factual base of the story right? Just the timing. So, it's been done before. So it's a strategic *reminder* of previously known fact.

Does that make it news? Probably not. By the way, which are the unbiased US news programs again?

 

[Jeff Boler]

Come on, now.

We are not addressing the factual base of the story right? Just the timing. So, it's been done before. So it's a strategic *reminder* of previously known fact.

Great. We won World War II. It's not news, but since everyone is using "reminders", why not throw it in now? I think you have to look at motivation.

Does that make it news? Probably not.

Then why report it? If you want to read old news, go to the archives or go to a library. The point was that the "news" story was put out for one purpose, and it wasn't for reporting on missing weapons. It was to give George Bush something else to defend.

And again, with all the stuff that Bush has reportedly done that was wrong, why isn't John Kerry winning by a landslide?

 

[Flatlander]

And again, with all the stuff that Bush has reportedly done that was wrong, why isn't John Kerry winning by a landslide?

That isn't the issue here.

Then why report it? If you want to read old news, go to the archives or go to a library. The point was that the "news" story was put out for one purpose, and it wasn't for reporting on missing weapons. It was to give George Bush something else to defend.

Though I agree with your assesment regarding the newsworthiness and bad timing, that doesn't negate the facts presented in the story. Where are the explosives? Why were they left unprotected? Is arming the people you are trying to fight an efficient tactical maneuver? It's demonstrative of the complete mismanagement and lack of planning in Iraq. Blame it on Bush, blame it on Rumsfeld, doesn't matter. You cannot blame it on Kerry or the news reporting agency.

 

[MisterMike]

NEVER MIND FACTS,
BLAME AMERICA
Instead Of Waiting For Full Story, Kerry Gins Up His Attack Machine Based On Flawed New York Times Reporting
________________________________________________

NEW YORK TIMES’ INK BARELY DRY BEFORE KERRY ON ATTACK

Before 1:30 am Monday Morning, Kerry Campaign Advisor Joe Lockhart Alleged Cover Up. “Today, the Bush administration must answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq. How did they fail to secure nearly 380 tons of known, deadly explosives despite clear warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency to do so? And why was this information unearthed by reporters – and was it covered up by our national security officials?” (John Kerry For President, “Lockhart Statement On Reports Of Missing Explosives In Iraq,” Press Release, 10/25/04; CNN’s “The Morning Grind,” 10/25/04)

Kerry Said U.S. Troops “Failed To Guard Those Stockpiles.” “After being warned about the danger of major stockpiles of explosives in Iraq, this administration failed to guard those stockpiles - where nearly 380 tons of highly explosive weapons were kept.” (John Kerry For President, “Kerry Statement On Bush’s Failure To Secure Explosives In Iraq,” Press Release, 10/25/04)

And Called Supposed Failure To Safeguard Iraqi Explosives Depot “One Of The Great Blunders” Of War. “Kerry, who hopes that appearances by Clinton in at least three battleground states this week will mobilize supporters, seized on news reports that tons of explosives had disappeared from a military installation south of Baghdad after the United States invaded Iraq. ‘The incredible incompetence of this president and this administration has put our troops at risk, and put this country at greater risk than we ought to be,’ Kerry said, calling the missing explosives ‘one of the great blunders’ of Bush’s war effort.” (Michael Finnegan and Mark Z. Barabak, “Sharper Barbs As Nov. 2 Nears,” Los Angeles Times, 10/26/04)

NEW YORK TIMES AND KERRY CAMPAIGN AREN’T
ONES TO LET FACTS GET IN WAY OF GOOD STORY

NBC Nightly News Reported That On April 10, 2003, One Day After Baghdad Fell, U.S. Troops Entered Al-Qaqaa And Did Not Find Explosives. NBC’S JIM MIKLASZEWSKI: “April 10, 2003, only three weeks into the war, NBC News was embedded with troops from the Army’s 101st Airborne as they temporarily take over the Al-Qaqaa weapons installation south of Baghdad. But these troops never found the nearly 380 tons of some of the most powerful conventional explosives, called HMX and RDX, which is now missing. The U.S. troops did find large stockpiles of more conventional weapons, but no HMX or RDX, so powerful less than a pound brought down Pan Am 103 in 1988, and can be used to trigger a nuclear weapon. In a letter this month, the Iraqi interim government told the International Atomic Energy Agency the high explosives were lost to theft and looting due to lack of security. Critics claim there were simply not enough U.S. troops to guard hundreds of weapons stockpiles, weapons now being used by insurgents and terrorists to wage a guerrilla war in Iraq.” (NBC’s “Nightly News,” 10/25/04)

No Materials Under IAEA Seals Were Discovered When Coalition Troops Searched Site In April 2003. “Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said U.S.-led forces searched the Qaqaa facility after the invasion. ‘Coalition forces were present in the vicinity at various times during and after major combat operations,’ he said. ‘The forces searched 32 bunkers and 87 other buildings at the facility. While some explosive material was discovered, none of it carried IAEA seals.’” (Colum Lynch and Bradley Graham, “Iraqi Explosives Missing, U.N. Is Told,” The Washington Post, 10/26/04)

IAEA Head Told U.N. Security Council Explosives Were Unaccounted For One Month Before Invasion. “IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei told the U.N. Security Council one month before the allied invasion that Iraq had moved some of its highly explosive HMX from the Al Qaqaa site. The United Nations could not verify Iraqi claims that it used the explosives for commercial uses. The missing explosives include HMX as well as RDX, two highly explosive substances used to make C-5 plastic devices that can be used for legitimate commercial purposes, or by terrorists to bring down an airplane.” (Rowan Scarborough, “Pentagon Responds To Missing-Explosives Report,” The Washington Times, 10/26/04)

“The Pentagon Also Said Allies Have Cleared More Than 10,000 Arms Caches Since April 2003, Destroying More Than 240,000 Tons Of Arms And Explosives. Another 162,000 Tons Are Awaiting Destruction.” (Rowan Scarborough, “Pentagon Responds To Missing-Explosives Report,” The Washington Times, 10/26/04)

Site In Question Was “Medium Priority” On List Of “More Than 500 Sites” With Iraqi Weapons Caches. “One senior official noted that the Qaqaa complex where the explosives HMX and RDX were stored was listed as a ‘medium priority’ site on the CIA's list of more than 500 sites that needed to be searched and secured during the invasion.” (James Glanz, William J. Broad And David E. Sanger, “Huge Cache Of Explosives Vanished From Site In Iraq,” The New York Times, 10/25/04)

KERRY AND NEW YORK TIMES IGNORE FACTS, STAY ON ATTACK

Kerry Still Falsely Claims “Explosives Vanished” Because Of Bush Administration Failures. “Yesterday, we learned that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives vanished from one of Iraq's most sensitive military installations, after the invasion. Just as the Bush Administration's failure to secure Iraq's borders has led to thousands of terrorists flooding into the country, their failure to secure those explosives threatens American troops and the American people. Before the war, the explosives were monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which warned the Bush Administration that they could fall into the wrong hands. And it urged the Bush Administration to secure them. But we rushed to war in Iraq without a plan to safeguard sensitive sites like this one. And now, the explosives are missing, unaccounted for, and could be in the hands of terrorists - used to attack our troops or our people.” (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks In Green Bay, WI, 10/26/04)

New York Times Ignores NBC News Report. “The White House sought on Monday to explain the disappearance of 380 tons of high explosives in Iraq that American forces were supposed to secure, as Senator John Kerry seized on the missing cache as ;one of the great blunders of Iraq; and said President Bush's ‘incredible incompetence’ had put American troops at risk. … [E]ven as Mr. Bush pressed his case [against Kerry], his aides tried to explain why American forces had ignored warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency about the vulnerability of the huge stockpile of high explosives, whose disappearance was first reported on Monday by CBS and The New York Times.” (David E. Sanger, “Iraq Explosives Become Issue In Campaign,” The New York Times, 10/26/04)

 

[PeachMonkey]

Then why report it? If you want to read old news, go to the archives or go to a library. The point was that the "news" story was put out for one purpose, and it wasn't for reporting on missing weapons. It was to give George Bush something else to defend.

You continue to harp on the idea of this news being released to target the Bush/Kerry election, and the timing, without responding to the fact, which I pointed out, that this article came about as a result of the IAEA, which wrote to the Iraqi interim government on October 10 2004, and then made the information public.

I'll ask again, and add a few more questions:

-- If the IAEA just released this information, how is it "old news"?
-- Is the IAEA part of this conspiracy theory?
-- If the information is correct, and it comes out close to the election, and the US did allow those explosives out, is it then okay for American soldiers and civilians all around the world to be killed using them because those dirty liberals only discussed it right before the election?

I await your answers.

 

[Jeff Boler]

Here is the reason behind this "news release"

http://www.johnkerry.com/video/102604_obligation.html