Posted on 10/25/2004 7:11:50 PM PDT by Chicos_Bail_Bonds
Would you believe a "top Dumocrat"? We need independent confirmation.
Please put this one in breaking news.
"The fighting had not yet ended completely at this time. Drudge reads the story as saying the weapons were gone when the 101 got there. Miklasewki's actual report is not at all clear on that. I think, barring more info, the Dems can still claim that the 101 because it still had fighting to do could not secure the base, and the base was then looted. This would allow Dems to attack the planning for Iraq war as being insufficient in troop strength to secure the country. The results of which have led to deadly attacks on US troops by weapons produced from the unprotected explosives. I just think it's possible we're celebrating much too soon. We need to know what the 101 did at alQaqaa. What was it tasked to find? What did it find and how long did it secure the facility?"
This is from Miklasewki's report:
"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 Qakaa 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..."
It's saying that when the troops arrived, the high explosives were already gone. That's exactly what Drudge et al is reporting.
| Wednesday, March 19 (Washington) | In an address to the nation from the Oval Office, President Bush announces orders have been given to begin Operation of Iraqi Freedom, and acknowledges the launch of missile attacks against "selected targets of military significance" in Iraq. |
| Monday, March 24 | The 3rd Infantry Division, along with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, move within 50 miles of Baghdad and engage Republican Guard divisions, including the Medina Division. AH-64 Apache helicopters of the Army's 11th Aviation Regiment knock out four or five armored Iraqi vehicles outside Baghdad. Air Force B-52 bombers also hit Republican Guard positions and vehicles south of Baghdad. |
| Monday, March 31 | After waiting several days 50 miles from the Iraqi capitol city, the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and Marine 1st Expeditionary Division finish dismantling of two Republican Guard divisions to the north. The Iraqi divisions were battered by U.S. air strikes and artillery barrages over several days. U.S. soldiers fight Iraqi paramilitary soldiers outside Najaf, 90 miles south of Baghdad. One soldier from the 101st Airborne Division is killed. |
| Wednesday, April 2 | From the southwest, the 3rd Infantry Division passes Karbala and moves north with M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles toward Baghdad. The Marine 1st Expeditionary Force moves north beyond Kut and heads in the direction of Baghdad also. Both face minimal resistance, destroying what remains of the Iraq's Republican Guard Medina Division and Baghdad Division. Many Iraqi soldiers retreat back toward Baghdad, surrender to U.S. troops or desert. Outside Karbala an Army UH-60 Black Hawk was lost. Six soldiers are killed, and a Navy airman is missing. |
| Wednesday, April 9 | With U.S. military forces controlling most of Baghdad and few signs that Saddam Hussein's Baath government still functions, thousands of Iraqis celebrate their liberation. A tall metal statue of Hussein is pulled off its cement foundation by Iraqis with the help of U.S. Marines. |
| Thursday, April 10 | Iraqi forces leave the northern city of Kirkuk after bombings from U.S. warplanes. Kurdish opposition forces move into the city, along with some U.S. Special Forces troops. Iraqi soldiers also are said to be surrendering to U.S. and Kurdish ground forces in Mosul. Looting and civil disorder is occurring cities across the country, including Baghdad, Basra and Kirkut. |
As you can see, the earliest we would have been 25 miles south of Bagdad would be March 31 or April 1. Fighting continued to Bagdad until April 9.
What's the chance of a small band of looters making off with 40 semi-truck trailers full of explosives with the troops all around between April 1 and April 10? Nil.
I am just noting what NBC claims it saw when their imbeds arrived with the 101st in April. NRO Kerry Spot reports on this:
http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerryspot.asp
It seems as if NBC said that there were none of the particular weapons in question when they arrived.
The fighting had not ended but the important high explosives that the NY Times is bitching about were not there .... the NT Times "news" articles are the equivalent to grade F meat ... not fit for human consumption
You're probably right, but I spent 8 years listening to Clinton parse the English language, and maybe that affects the way I read Mik's report. It just confuses me that he doesn't say the Cemtex was gone when the 101 arrived. He says they didn't find it, and that they were at al QaQaa temporarily. He then jumps to the Iraqis saying it was looted due to poor security. Like I said ten posts ago, it's double talk.
Anyone noticed that Drudge has since taken the siren down? Is he now going to backpeddle? Hope not!!!
Our troops were looking for HMX and RDX but didn't find any.
So I hope Bush or one of his people comes out and says "Nice to see Sen. Kerry agrees these are weapons that had to be gotten control of, and it's obvious now that Saddam was sending such weapons outside his country...making him a backer of terrorism...as we've been saying all along."
Usually he only leaves it up for a while when the story first comes out.
Why is the U.N. nuclear agency suddenly warning now that insurgents in Iraq may have obtained nearly 400 tons of missing explosives -- in early 2003?NBCNEWS Jim Miklaszewski quoted one official: "Recent disagreements between the administration and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency makes this announcement appear highly political."
The IAEA is attempting the old HansBlix manuever on Bush, but facts are stubborn things.
This is blowing up ALL OVER the UN, Kerry, and the Slimes.
Yippee! I believe the UN, the terrorists and LURCH all made a pact with the devil to try and bring down our wonderful president! BUT THEIR PHONEY BOGUS RATHERGATES AND EXPLOSIVEGATES ARE NOT GOING TO WORK THIS TIME!
If it feels good do it?
This is the other corollary. I always do it but only sometimes does it feel good. The right thing I mean. That is the one I was referring to.
Sent to: managing-editor@nytimes.com; retrace@nytimes.com
How do you justify running such a poorly researched story?
The explosives were evacuated before the war, according to recent reports. Our intelligence learned that Iraqi generals reported back to Saddam before the war “All evacuated.” They may have been trucked to Syria or the Bekka Valley in Lebanon. The explosives were part of Saddam’s nuclear weapons program, a.k.a. WMD.
Biochem weapons were probably also trucked to Syria. Syria has used chemical weapons in Sudan. Upon arrival, our forces located al-Qaqaa storage site and found no WMD where they had been suspected.
To date, 250,000 tons of weapons and explosives have been destroyed, and another 167,000 tons are under guard preliminary to destruction. Your 380 tons is less than one-tenth of one percent of these munitions destroyed or in the process of destruction.
The New York Times is embarrassed again.
D. Oesy, NYC
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