More gist for 380 tons of explosives mill

[Kelly the Dog]

They never checked the bunkers at all. He didn't even know it was a sensitive site until now.

 

But the unit's commander said in an interview yesterday that his troops had not searched the site and had merely stopped there overnight.

 

The commander, Col. Joseph Anderson, of the Second Brigade of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, said he did not learn until this week that the site, Al Qaqaa, was considered sensitive, or that international inspectors had visited it before the war began in 2003 to inspect explosives that they had tagged during a decade of monitoring.

 

Colonel Anderson, who is now the chief of staff for the division and who spoke by telephone from Fort Campbell, Ky., said his troops had been driving north toward Baghdad and had paused at Al Qaqaa to make plans for their next push.

 

"We happened to stumble on it,'' he said. "I didn't know what the place was supposed to be. We did not get involved in any of the bunkers. It was not our mission. It was not our focus. We were just stopping there on our way to Baghdad. The plan was to leave that very same day. The plan was not to go in there and start searching. It looked like all the other ammunition supply points we had seen already."

 

Colonel Anderson said he did not see any obvious signs of damage when he arrived on April 10, but that his focus was strictly on finding a secure place to collect his troops, who were driving and flying north from Karbala.

 

"There was no sign of looting here," Colonel Anderson said. "Looting was going on in Baghdad, and we were rushing on to Baghdad. We were marshaling in."

 

A few days earlier, some soldiers from the division thought they had discovered a cache of chemical weapons that turned out to be pesticides. Several of them came down with rashes, and they had to go through a decontamination procedure. Colonel Anderson said he wanted to avoid a repeat of those problems, and because he had already seen stockpiles of weapons in two dozen places, did not care to poke through the stores at Al Qaqaa.

 

"I had given instructions, 'Don't mess around with those. It looks like they are bunkers; we're not messing around with those things. That's not what we're here for,' " he said. "I thought we would be there for a few hours and move on. We ended up staying overnight."

 

I understand that this story is a complete pack of lies because it was from the NYT, and that the commander never said these things that are between quote marks in the article, but likely said something along the lines of "They were clearly gone when we got there and inspected them thoroughly...", I just thought it was interesting that the liberal media would go to such lengths to actually print newspapers and write stories so near to an election.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/politics...html?oref=login

[Mickey]

They never checked the bunkers at all. He didn't even know it was a sensitive site until now.

I understand that this story is a complete pack of lies because it was from the NYT, and that the commander never said these things that are between quote marks in the article, but likely said something along the lines of "They were clearly gone when we got there and inspected them thoroughly...", I just thought it was interesting that the liberal media would go to such lengths to actually print newspapers and write stories so near to an election.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/politics...html?oref=login

87448[/snapback]

Perhaps you are not aware that Richio has already started three threads proclaiming Kerry a liar and exonerating the administration of any errors or goof-ups of any kind in this episode the instant the news hit the wires. I'd like to consider this new evidence and tell him about it but he would just start weeping and whining that I was changing the subject.

 

Several embeds have said the same things these guys are saying, that they never searched the place as they were just passing through. I don't how it will turn out but the right side reaction is typical, they just can't admit a mistake, learn from it and move on. Reality is a b*tch.

 

In drips and drabs, more info on this is coming out so we will just have to see what develops. Still too early to reach any firm conclusions.

[boomerjamhead]

I couldn't agree more Mick. This story is in its infancy and I don't think it's enough to put the final nail in Bush's coffin just yet. It's just another example of John Kerry's opportunistic style of running his campaign. If Kerry had a real platform and was square with the electorate, he wouldn't have needed to jump on this at all.

[Kelly the Dog]

I couldn't agree more Mick.  This story is in its infancy and I don't think it's enough to put the final nail in Bush's coffin just yet.  It's just another example of John Kerry's opportunistic style of running his campaign.  If Kerry had a real platform and was square with the electorate, he wouldn't have needed to jump on this at all.

87489[/snapback]

I agree. Kerry has been getting worse and worse as the days go on, and continues to say stupid things that are made to look even more stupid by the GOP word twisters. His opportunism is getting embarrassing. More and more I think if Joe Biden was the candidate, this election would not even be close.

[SilverNRed]

Too bad the 3rd Infantry checked the site out a week before the 101st.

 

CBS News

 

And, anyway, our pathetic mainstream media was still planning on breaking an inconclusive story two nights before the election (and ended up doing it a week before the election). They're making news instead of reporting it. What was yesterday's NYT headline - "Explosives become campaign issue". So they report it and declare it an issue the next day. What a crock.

 

Is there such a thing as ethics in journalism?

[_BiB_]

Not surprising. It wasn't the responsibility of the combat troops to conduct sensitive site exploitation. There was a separate and specialized unit with a list that conducted the checks. Most of the combat units did not want to be bothered with it, the priority being to get to Baghdad. The SSE teams were built around a selected field artillery battalion, as they had the proper and most extensive communications assets. Some SSE assets were embedded with some of the forward units, which turned out to be a mistake because the initial assault troops didn't want to be slowed down poking through ammo dumps. What ended up happening is the SSE element following along. Once a site was "cleared", they'd go in and do a hasty assessment, then catch back up or go onto another site. There are literally thousands of ammo dumps and what not out there. They are still being investigated to this day.

[boomerjamhead]

I agree. Kerry has been getting worse and worse as the days go on, and continues to say stupid things that are made to look even more stupid by the GOP word twisters. His opportunism is getting embarrassing. More and more I think if Joe Biden was the candidate, this election would not even be close.

87504[/snapback]

 

My blood pressure would be a hell of a lot lower if Biden was the Democratic candidate; same goes for Lieberman.

[Terry Tate]

As of mid-September, more than 243,000 tons of munitions have been destroyed since Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coalition forces have cleared and reviewed 10,033 caches of munitions and another 163,000 tons of munitions have been secured and will soon be destroyed. Source

[_BiB_]

Perhaps you are not aware that Richio has already started three threads proclaiming Kerry a liar and exonerating the administration of any errors or goof-ups of any kind in this episode the instant the news hit the wires.  I'd like to consider this new evidence and tell him about it but he would just start weeping and whining that I was changing the subject.

 

Several embeds have said the same things these guys are saying, that they never searched the place as they were just passing through.  I don't how it will turn out but the right side reaction is typical, they just can't admit a mistake, learn from it and move on.  Reality is a b*tch.

 

In drips and drabs, more info on this is coming out so we will just have to see what develops.  Still too early to reach any firm conclusions.

87459[/snapback]

 

There were a lot of things going on simultaneously, especially in the first weeks. This was a fairly high interest site. Like I said yesterday, I talked to a guy who was on one of the SSE's (there was more than one) that evaluated the site. Their primary concern was WMD evidence, but it's part of the damn paperwork to list at least an approximate inventory of what actually was on site. He said he didn't see anything besides rounds and raw materials and some associated bric a brac. Whatever. Plenty of people passed through many places without knowing about one another, because why should they? Who cares?

 

No one is saying the stuff was never there. I go back to my original comments. Am I the only one noticing that this was reported by a French inspector working for the UN agency? A week prior to our election?

[blzrul]

Does anyone besides me find it ironic that we apparently put more effort into guarding the fewking oil pipelines than the ammo dumps and the unarmed Iraqi soldiers?

[Terry Tate]

In September 2003, the Army hired four civilian contractors to collect, store and begin destroying about 600,000 tons of Iraqi ammunition. Working six days a week, the team was taking in about 200 tons of captured ordnance a day, and destroying roughly 100 tons per day. The team used the seventh day to perform sweeps/cleanup of the range and equipment. Source

[_BiB_]

Does anyone besides me find it ironic that we apparently put more effort into guarding the fewking oil pipelines than the ammo dumps and the unarmed Iraqi soldiers?

87595[/snapback]

 

Apparantly they aren't guarded well enough, since they get blown up fairly regularly. And, it's real easy to put the spin on guarding oil pipelines, but the fact is, Iraq needs those pipelines and terminals running in order to have an economy. They are a high priority item.

[Terry Tate]

Military and civilian explosive experts, with the assistance of some Iraqi soldiers and workers, continue to locate and destroy the estimated 600,000 tons of explosives in Iraq. Source

[blzrul]

Apparantly they aren't guarded well enough, since they get blown up fairly regularly. And, it's real easy to put the spin on guarding oil pipelines, but the fact is, Iraq needs those pipelines and terminals running in order to have an economy. They are a high priority item.

87601[/snapback]

Key word = "priority". You mean they need MORE than the $220+b this "self-funding war" is going to cost us before this is all over?

 

And how many new recruits do you think joined the Iraqi army this week? I guess when your only two choices for employment are to be killed as a cop or be killed as a soldier, it doesn't matter.

 

I wonder what would happen if 50 of OUR soldiers were put on a bus, unarmed, and found executed?

 

Maybe we could bury them all under the pipelines.

[boomerjamhead]

Key word = "priority".  You mean they need MORE than the $220+b this "self-funding war" is going to cost us before this is all over? 

 

And how many new recruits do you think joined the Iraqi army this week?  I guess when your only two choices for employment are to be killed as a cop or be killed as a soldier, it doesn't matter.

 

I wonder what would happen if 50 of OUR soldiers were put on a bus, unarmed, and found executed?

 

Maybe we could bury them all under the pipelines.

87623[/snapback]

 

Those pipeliens are 80% of the Iraqi economy. For the love of God, can you please stay on topic?

[Alaska Darin]

Those pipeliens are 80% of the Iraqi economy.  For the love of God, can you please stay on topic?

87636[/snapback]

Leave her alone. She's just adding another soundbyte to the Flightsuit! Halliburton! Nosepick! mynah bird mentality she's flitted around the board for the last 2 years.

[SilverNRed]

Does anyone besides me find it ironic that we apparently put more effort into guarding the fewking oil pipelines than the ammo dumps and the unarmed Iraqi soldiers?

87595[/snapback]

 

No. The entire economy of that country is based on their oil and those pipelines. So getting Iraq back on its feet depends on reviving their oil industry. You can't win the war without the oil pipelines.

[SilverNRed]

In September 2003, the Army hired four civilian contractors to collect, store and begin destroying about 600,000 tons of Iraqi ammunition. Working six days a week, the team was taking in about 200 tons of captured ordnance a day, and destroying roughly 100 tons per day. The team used the seventh day to perform sweeps/cleanup of the range and equipment. Source

87597[/snapback]

 

So the big story is that less than a tenth of a percent of Iraqi ammunition has been missing since before the war and still hasn't been found. Thank God for NYT and 60 Minutes.

[Wacka]

blzrul- Prozac prescription run out?

 

This was the dems "October surprise" and it blew up in their faces.