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October 28, 2004
White House officials have yet to provide a consistent account of what happened to 380 tons of conventional explosives that disappeared on its watch. But a close examination of the facts shows that the administration's excuses on the looting at Al-Qaqaa do not hold up.
- Excuse #1: They were gone when we got there. Administration officials argue that the explosives were removed from the Al-Qaqaa site before the U.S. arrived. According to Today's New York Times, Iraqis on the scene in Al-Qaqaa after U.S. troops came through "described an orgy of theft" as the sensitive military site was picked clean by looters. Iraq's top science official, Mohammed al-Sharaa, confirmed these reports saying, "It is impossible that these materials could have been taken from this site before the regime's fall. The officials that were inside this facility beforehand confirm that not even a shred of paper left it before the fall."
- Excuse #2: We didn't know about it. The White House maintains it just recently learned about the disappearance of explosives. Yet, the New York Times reports that Iraqi officials warned Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, that Al- Qaqaa had probably been looted in May 2004. Even before the invasion, the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a public warning about the dangers posed by these explosives.
- Excuse #3: NBC News says we didn't do anything wrong. The administration tried to spin an NBC News story about the explosives as stating that "US troops entered Al-Qaqaa and did not find the explosives." NBC News denies the White House characterization, stating that its report actually says that the troops were not "actively involved in the search for any weapons," – not that the troops searched for weapons but did not find any.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
