(Reposting this from memory as best I can after something happened to the main index and this entry got killed somehow. Part of the hack/DDos attacks we’ve been getting today?)
If you’ve been listening to Rush this morning, you can tell what kind of panic they’re in. He doesn’t sound like someone who thinks he’s about to win.
He’s been going ape-shit all morning over al Qa-qaa. And for good reason. A new report this morning from KSLT Eyewitness News has an eyewitness embedded reporter who was on the scene — with video and pictures! — on April 18, 2003. And explosives were still there!
The video report shows footage from inside the bunkers:
…
They also found bags of material men from the 101st couldn’t identify, but box after box was clearly marked “explosive.”
…
Once the doors to the bunkers were opened, they weren’t secured. They were left open when the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew and the military went back to their base.
“We weren’t quite sure what were looking at, but we saw so much of it and it didn’t appear that this was being secured in any way,” said photojournalist Joe Caffrey. “It was several miles away from where military people were staying in their tents”.
Are these definitely the high explosives that are now missing? Don’t know. But it doesn’t look good, and Rush, Sean, Fox and the GOP are now officially in an all-out panic.
UPDATE: More on the above now from ABC. Looks like possible confirmation of the drums and the seals seen in the video:
“The seal’s critical,” Albright said. “The fact that there’s a photo of what looks like an IAEA seal means that what’s behind those doors is HMX. They only sealed bunkers that had HMX in them.”
After the bunkers were opened, the 101st was not ordered to secure the facility. A senior officer told ABC News the division would not have had nearly enough soldiers to do so.
Dead to rights?
On CNN, David Kay just confirmed that the images contained HMX and that the seals were IAEA seals. And that the only bunkers at that site that were sealed with those IAEA seals were the ones that contained those explosives. This is a smoking gun, period.
For some reason, i am hearing the Doors song "When the Music’s over". Smoking gun? Combined with the article in which the military spokesman said that these were the weapons being used against our forces? You betcha.
You know what would be interesting? Replaying mr Rumsfeld’s remarks about freedom being "untidy" in response to a question about looting:
"Free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things. They’re also free to live their lives and do wonderful things."
So free people were apparently free to loot al Tuwaitha and al Qaqaa. They are free to use these explosives, as we’ve documented here, to attack Americans. Apparently the republicans are free to read these satellite photos of two, not forty but two, trucks parked at al Qaqaa like the tinfoil hat club watches the Zapruder film.
And now the FBI is investigating Halliburton.
When it rains it pours.
BRAD,
The Army says they moved it. Its all over the news. I notice you conviently leave that out of your blog. Ignoring the trth doesnt change it. you just keep believe forgieners over your own country, then call yourself a patriot.
Oh yeah, BTW. I thought Osama was supposed to suddenly appear when we were close to the election. But no Osama. Wrong as usual.
Keep up the good work, I think your even starting to believe yourself.
Hey No-Name, how about a link to where it’s all over the news.
Seems to me everything I’ve heard is that the GOP’s line is, "Oh, gone before we got there…", which of course throws egg in their faces as it appears to be utterly false.
So what are you talking about?
Beyond that, the real issue is: where is this stuff, and whose hands has it passed through? Answers to which this administration seems much happier to push off until after the election.
LOLOL(etc) – As you’ll note, I finished blogging last night at 3am. I’m getting to work now, and will be reporting on the story of Major Pierson (who I presume you’re talking about) when I actually get to read the details of the report.
Unless, you’d like to me to just throw out unsubstantiated stuff as you seem to prefer.
From what I understand of the report on Pierson, the numbers aren’t adding up. Furthermore, it seems to undermine the Administration’s own claim that the explosives were gone before the war started. But I’ll report when I have something more conclusive to report. Despite what you’d like to *believe* is true.
As well, you said this:
"I thought Osama was supposed to suddenly appear when we were close to the election. But no Osama. Wrong as usual."
Well, don’t worry. Everybody gets it wrong sometimes. We don’t think any less of you because of it. Though if you’re usually wrong, you may want to be more careful in the future.
LOL,
Here’s the problem. The most recent story is one of many that the Administration has put forth to explain away its culpability. The good major’s explanation (though a hundred and eighty tons shy of all the missing explosives) has to compete with the false allegation that Russian special ops took it, that it was moved before the war and that it was destroyed in bombing. Dont you find it the least bit interesting that issues were raised with one ofthe largest weapons depots in Iraq and there was absolutely no paperwork, no info in the system at all concerning the alleged destruction of 200 tons of material?
By the way, if you had read the Pearson story you would have learned that the stuff his team destroyed was NOT under UN seal and was composed of the following items:
"TNT, plastic explosives, detonation cords, and white phosphorous rounds."
Conspicuously absent are the explosives that were actually being discussed. Its a nice try and i am sure the good people over at faux will try to give Mr. Bush a pass but this is just another pile. Not unlike the satellite photos of trucks parked near bunkers other than the ones under discussion.
"I did not see any IAEA seals at any of the locations we went into. I was not looking for that," Pearson said.
The seals of course, were on the doors and the containers of munitions in question. Kind of hard to miss a broken seal at the door.
"I can’t say RDX that was on the list of IAEA is what the major pulled out. … We believe that some of the things they were pulling out of there were RDX." This was a quote from the spokeman DeRite (hopefully no relation to Curly Joe).
Now before you get on the porch with the big dogs, make sure you have your facts lined up. You didn’t now slink away like you always do.
Couple of other items you seem to have missed, John. The story that there was only 3 tons (not 377 tons) of explosives was also being floated – and repeated by Rush as late as this morning.
As well, according to GlobalSecurity.org (and as reported by their rep on FAUX NEWS of all places just now!) the Pentagon sattelite shot show a truck, but at the *wrong* bunker! Not the one where the HMX/RDX was!
As I said though, more as I’m able to gather up all the facts.
Hey No-Name,
Osama showed up, says he wants to talk to you…