ftr s mch blvtng vr n WMD w'r nw frntc bt th dspprnc f WMD prcrsrs?

Gee, bendito, it would be nice if you at least read what I wrote. In May 2003, I said that these guys either lied about WMD or they were incompetent in their execution of securing Iraq. The IAEA was clearly concerned about the consequence of these "precursors", but this administration just couldn't get it into their head that they should do something about them. Of course, they had many more important things to worry about - like securing the Oil Ministry.

Let me say this verrry slowwwly so you can understand. BEFORE BUSH's WAR OF CHOICE the 350 tons of explosives were cataloged and no danger to the rest of the world. After the invasion -- when Bush was responsible -- they fell into the hands of God knows whomever - and no one knows when or where they might crop up again -- although there is a good speculation that they are being used in any number of explosions in Iraq today. That's a great accomplishment of Bush. Perhaps when the next plane goes down, you too will cheer Bush's accomplishment.

We can expect the typical wingnut response from much of the media. "See, this PROVES Saddam was dangerous." Keep the responses short. Two options:

THE FACTUAL RESPONSE

1. This stuff was allowed under the Gulf War treaty, was declared, was frequently inspected, and was SEALED by the IAEA.

2. The location was known, yet the US did not secure the stuff until long after the fall of Baghdad.

THE SARCASTIC RESPONSE

How to arm a resistance in two easy steps:
1. Fire the army of 300,000 but don't disarm them.
2. Leave their most powerful explosives lying around unguarded.

Mary, I am suprised bendito didn't pick up on your mere mention of the word yellowcake at Tuwaitha and use that as his red herring, nookuuular smoking gun.

Well okay, so I am not really suprised. I suspect bendito's knee jerked up so quickly (as is so common among wingnuts with the mere mention of the word "weapons + Iraq") while he was reading this it hit his forehead so hard it knocked him even more senseless (if that is possible) before he was able to get to that part of the article.
bendito, there's a village that is missing its idiot...please phone home.

Yes, I know, I know, don't feed the trolls...my bad.. but this one was just too good to pass up.

Something happened back in the late Summer of 2003 we are only now beginning to discern. The Republic of Iraq's major ministries were all looted stripping them of telephone systems, computers, and records. This would delay the rebuilding of the country. Not only was the antiquities museum looted, but the site where all the WMD records were located was looted as was the site where all the secret police files were kept. The only sites successfully guarded by the Coalition seems to have been the oil fields.

At the time of the looting, Rumsfeld said, “Freedom’s untidy. Free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things.”

Taken in context with what we now know he knew at the time about the missing explosives, this statement is astounding in its dismissive contempt for the safety of the troops in the theater of conflict.

This is nothing short of being Criminally Incompetent. In a sense it is such a powerful explosive it could be considered a Weapon of Mass Destruction. The U.S. knew where it was and was warned about it but still let it walk off. It is now, in all probability, in the hands of terrorists. The U.S. "was overwhelmed by the amount of munitions they found". Well Donald Rumsfeld, is that because we didn't have enough troops?

Donald Rumsfeld and other civilian officials in the Pentagon should be charged with criminal negligence and treason.

As both Mary and Ron in Portland write, "incompetent" and "criminal" are the most apt words for the Bush administration. Bush has not made us 'safer', he's put our homeland security in extreme danger, eroded our economic strength, demoralized our military forces, and squandered our allies' good will.

I can understand Kerry's reluctance to use the word 'criminal' but what keeps him from hitting hard on the issue of Bush's lack of competence? During the debates and in public appearances, Kerry nibbles around the edges but almost never (to my recollection) comes right out and says this administration is incompetent. Yet, it's precisely the lack of competence that all the Bush-leaners I know are, themselves, most troubled by.

Is there some focus group or poll that says undecideds will rally to the side of any inept president when someone else points out he's incompetent?

As both Mary and Ron in Portland write, "incompetent" and "criminal" are the most apt words for the Bush administration. Bush has not made us 'safer', he's put our homeland security in extreme danger, eroded our economic strength, demoralized our military forces, and squandered our allies' good will.

I can understand Kerry's reluctance to use the word 'criminal' but what keeps him from hitting hard on the issue of Bush's lack of competence? During the debates and in public appearances, Kerry nibbles around the edges but almost never (to my recollection) comes right out and says this administration is incompetent. Yet, it's precisely the lack of competence that all the Bush-leaners I know are, themselves, most troubled by.

Is there some focus group or poll that says undecideds will rally to the side of any inept president when someone else points out he's incompetent?

The 9/11 terrorists used boxcutters (and commercial airplanes). They don't need WMD--and these explosives are not WMD. "Nuclear precursors" leads us down a more complex road--these are conventional weapons. We must find a way to streamline the story.

700,000 lbs of high explosives can go a long way--and probably already has. How much has already been used to kill our troops? How much is already circulating throughout the middle east and beyond?

This just smacks of a pre-election COVER-UP. When did Rumsfeld know? When did Condi know? When did Bush know? Who will pay for this fuck-up?

Find the story and raise holy hell!

C'mon larre, Kerry accuses Bush of incompetence all the time--and he's been using the Lugar/Hegal/McCain critiques as support.

Kerry from this morning: "This is one of the great blunders of Iraq, one of the great blunders of this administration. And the incredible incompetence of this president and this administration has put our troops at risk and put this country at greater risk than it ought to be."

Then go to Atrios for Lockhart's extended statement--it got sound-bited, of course, but it was in all the stories this morning.

Kerry will be pounding this all day...but that shouldn't stop us from pummelling the press with our outrage...

Paul -- Yes. Thanks. Saw it today right after my comment. At last.

Maybe Kerry has been pounding that more since the debates. Maybe I was distracted by the conspicuous absence of the word during the debates. I thought at the time that Kerry missed an opportunity to turn toward Bush, fix him with a prosecutor's stare, and outright state, "Mr. Bush, you have proved yourself not competent to be president of our country."

Then again, I'd also like to see one of our soldiers offer Bush a ride in one of his un-armored Hum-Vees down a Baghdad steet.

Steve, great posts as always, but you need to be a bit stronger and more direct with the truth on this one:

Bush's Incompetence is Killing American Troops

No need to speculate any longer about where the Iraqi insurgents are getting their high explosives from.