WT Forums

Some thing tells me Karl Rove is enjoying Kerry stepping in this one.
___________________

Discrepancy Found in Explosives Amounts
Documents Show Iraqis May Be Overstating Amount of Missing Material

- Iraqi officials may be overstating the amount of explosives reported to have disappeared from a weapons depot, documents obtained by ABC News show.

The Iraqi interim government has told the United States and international weapons inspectors that 377 tons of conventional explosives are missing from the Al-Qaqaa installation, which was supposed to be under U.S. military control.

But International Atomic Energy Agency documents obtained by ABC News and first reported on "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" indicate the amount of missing explosives may be substantially less than the Iraqis reported.

The information on which the Iraqi Science Ministry based an Oct. 10 memo in which it reported that 377 tons of RDX explosives were missing -- presumably stolen due to a lack of security -- was based on "declaration" from July 15, 2002. At that time, the Iraqis said there were 141 tons of RDX explosives at the facility.

But the confidential IAEA documents obtained by ABC News show that on Jan. 14, 2003, the agency's inspectors recorded that just over 3 tons of RDX was stored at the facility -- a considerable discrepancy from what the Iraqis reported.

The IAEA documents could mean that 138 tons of explosives were removed from the facility long before the start of the United States launched "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in March 2003.

The missing explosives have become an issue in the presidential campaign. Sen. John Kerry has pointed to the disappearance as evidence of the Bush administration's poor handling of the war. The Bush camp has responded that more than a thousand times that amount of explosives or munitions have been recovered or destroyed in Iraq.

Another Concern

The IAEA documents from January 2003 found no discrepancy in the amount of the more dangerous HMX explosives thought to be stored at Al-Qaqaa, but they do raise another disturbing possibility.

The documents show IAEA inspectors looked at nine bunkers containing more than 194 tons of HMX at the facility. Although these bunkers were still under IAEA seal, the inspectors said the seals may be potentially ineffective because they had ventilation slats on the sides. These slats could be easily removed to remove the materials inside the bunkers without breaking the seals, the inspectors noted.

ABC News' Martha Raddatz filed this report for "World News Tonight." Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2004 ABC News Internet Ventures

The problem with this (and the apparent part played by the Russians in this 'missing explosives' fiasco) is that it's too late to get any coverage with the candidates campaigning like wildfire (not that the left-biased media would bother to <i>report</i> such indiscrepancies... some news show I watched this morning briefly mentioned the campaigning, saying issues such as "the missing explosives in Iraq" were hot topics. Nobody mentioned "the missing <b>but accounted for and in smaller quantities</b> explosives.").

Granted, Bush can declare such at his campaign stops, but when you're only hitting a few hundred/thousand people at a time and Kerry's STILL bashing you for it (even though it's not true... whoa, there's a shock) it's a bit harder to overcome.

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Doesn't matter, the explosives were gone before the war started anyway.

"Molon labe".
Leonidas, King of Sparta,
Thermopylae, 480 B.C.

That's my point... we know that now, but the general public doesn't.

The media's still spewing the perspective that the explosives were "lost," and they're pinning it on Bush.

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Not all of the media. NBC, ABC, Fox, and the Wash Post have stepped forward and disputed various parts of this story.

"Molon labe".
Leonidas, King of Sparta,
Thermopylae, 480 B.C.

MY DAILY "MATTLOTT REPORT RESPONSE".

ITS TOO LATE FOR ANYTHING TO CHANGE MINDS NOW BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE HASHED OUT COMPLETELY. TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT PUTAN AND ACOUPLE OF OTHERS WANT A "NEW ALLIANCE" IN THE REGION.

MONEY TALKS,B.S. JUST PILES UP.

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

nice to know I have Goose re acting lol

I dont have any doubt that Russia would love a return to the old alliances in the middle eatern buffer states and in the the Stans. But I think Russia is far more fragile than we are led to believe and any thing that pisses off Washington would cut off the supply of greenbacks and anything else Russia needs from NATO countries.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

_________________
YGBSM !

MATT,
IF I MAKE YOUR DAY,THEN MY MISSION IS COMPLETE<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

I REALLY THINK THAT WE'RE IN FOR A "NEW USSR" BACK TO THE OLD COMMIE DAYS.
PUTAN I THINK IS USING THE ELECTION AND IRAQ AS A COVER FOR HIS MOVE TO TOTAL POWER,JUST MY THOUGHT.

MONEY TALKS,B.S. JUST PILES UP.

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"