# Al Qaqaa: where the roadside bombs come from **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 25, 2004, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023 "2004-10-25T09:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/361 "2004-10-29T15:17:26Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > Well, obviously I can’t because the buck does not stop at Bush’s desk. Which is the rhetorical point. Are you maintaining it’s not the President’s responsibility if he leads his country into a mismanaged war? Isn’t he the Commander in Chief? Which one is the tongue-in-cheek smiley? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/362 "2004-10-29T15:27:14Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Well, I feel I’m pretty up on the news. From what I’ve read recently, it would appear that the buck stops on the grill of Tucker Carlson’s car. I’t nice to see at least one Republican step up to the plate. Then we’re doing okay because [he looks to Jon Stewart for his cues on integrity](http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:DX9WsDZD74MJ:transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf.01.html+%22news+organizations+look+to+Comedy+Central%22+%22cues+on+integrity%22&hl=en). ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/363 "2004-10-29T15:35:05Z")
This truck business shows definitely that they have no fantasy at all. A few useful sugestions for Rumsfeld to come up with : Look, we have satellite pictures of trucks somewhere in Iraq and as you know… Eum… As I say: As everyone knows, all trucks in Iraq were by definition only in use to transport all munition and WMD out of the country the day before we invaded. Useful Variation: Look, we have pictures of trucks somewhere in Iraq and everyone knows that all the trucks in Irak are by definition owned by Haliburton and were only used to transport all munitions and WMD in Iraq to secure locations on the very day we invaded. Let me now go to the next slide that shows these same trucks on the road crossing the Saudi bord… (pauze)… Eum, I mean: This slide shows the trucks after they were brought to the US in order to examine these secured explosives. From this you now surely understand that the footage of soldiers breaking the IAEA seals were in fact showing these soldiers **replacing** them, in order to mislead the Iraqis wanting to loot the place. Now you also understand why there was no concern about securing that location and other locations where one could suspect -… where we _knew_ there were WMD and other deadly amunition that formed a direct threat, not only for our soldiers in Iraq but for the whole of Our Great Country under God and our Way of Life: There was nothing to be concerned about. Hence we focussed on securing that what was really considered as outmost important for us. (follows Haliburton logo) ---
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/364 "2004-10-29T16:05:17Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The jugular is exposed for Kerry, all he need do is sink his teeth in for all its worth. I understand that Halloween is up in the air, but so is the Election. You might wanna tone it done a bit for your candidate’s image sake… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/365 "2004-10-29T16:12:47Z")
I’m assuming [this](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137017,00.html) hasn’t been posted yet. > [@](#): > > U.S. Team Took 200 Tons of Iraqi Explosives > Friday, October 29, 2004 > > WASHINGTON — A U.S. soldier is coming forward Friday to say a team from the 3rd Infantry Division took about 200 tons of explosives from an Iraqi military facility soon after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell last year. > > The soldier will appear before reporters at noon, EDT. Apologies if I’m wrong… ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/366 "2004-10-29T16:13:06Z")
Okay, I’ve been trying to find a cite for my earlier claim. Does anyone have a news link to Tucker Carlson hitting 2 deer with his car this week? I don’t remember where I saw it. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/367 "2004-10-29T16:14:01Z")
> [@New Iskander](#): > > I understand that Halloween is up in the air, but so is the Election. You might wanna tone it done a bit for your candidate’s image sake… Kerry’s image doesn’t depend on me. But perhaps it was a bit too graphic. The point is we have a point of weakness and we need to milk this cow dry. ---
**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/368 "2004-10-29T16:14:33Z")
> [@braintree](#): > > Republicans are such a bunch of weird, lying exaggerators. > [@SimonX](#): > > If you would please, slow your roll on voicing this sort of comment that can be legitimately be said to resemble bigotry. > > Thanks in advance, > > Simon Um, Simon my boy, you do remember that “weird lying exaggerator” was the charge that Republicans repeatedly leveled against Al Gore in 2000, right? You know, because he said he invented the Internet, which he didn’t say, because he said he was the model for Oliver in “Love Story” which he was, because he said that he was the one who discovered Love Canal, which he didn’t say either. There are a lots of others but the Republicans in 2000 came up with a bunch of weird, lying exaggerations to make Al Gore out to be a weird, lying exaggerator. In other words, you nice boy you, I was not being a bigot, I was using a device widely known as sarcasm (in addition to being sarcastic, I am also just now being excruciatingly patronizing, but that’s another issue). And as a disloyal, irresponsible, sexually immoral, knee-jerk, America-hating, objectively pro-Saddam liberal who had to sit through Whitewater, Vincent Foster, Paula Jones, the 2000 election, the buildup to the war in Iraq and the Swift Boat Veterans, I’m really not in much of a mood to be accused of bigotry for calling Republicans liars. So the next time you’re in a mood to accuse me of something, I want you to stop, squeeze your eyelids tight and actually think about what it is you’re saying. Thanking you in advance. And, Nurse Carmen, it’s always so nice to get a compliment from someone you actually respect. Add that to the list of minorities you belong to. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/369 "2004-10-29T16:17:21Z")
I’m watching the press conference now and that Pentagon spokesman is the single worst spokesman I’ve ever. Get to the fucking point already. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/370 "2004-10-29T16:19:59Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > Okay, I’ve been trying to find a cite for my earlier claim. Does anyone have a news link to Tucker Carlson hitting 2 deer with his car this week? I don’t remember where I saw it. :smack: I thought you were serious, that Carlson had actually come forward and apologized on behalf of his party… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/371 "2004-10-29T16:33:39Z")
> [@braintree](#): > > …because he said he was the model for Oliver in “Love Story” which he was… Tipper’s dead?!?!? And has been dead for forty years? Then who’s the mother of Al’s hot daughters? ---
**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/372 "2004-10-29T16:42:36Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Tipper’s dead?!?!? And has been dead for forty years? Then who’s the mother of Al’s hot daughters? Shhh! If the Republicans find out about this one, we’re finished. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/373 "2004-10-29T16:56:23Z")
**KidCharlemagne** , I haven’t seen the video. Did the U.S. Army Major address whether or not the site was still sealed upon his arrival or if it appeared to already have been looted? Does he think we retrieved it all? Did he say that the weapons (explosives) definately were destroyed? ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/374 "2004-10-29T17:02:13Z")
Let’s count the problem with the soldier’s story 1. wrong date (prior to the photos of the IAEA seals being there) 2. whatever the blaring drudge and fox headlines say about him talking about “explosives,” “munitions and military material” is not the same thing as explosives (especially not drums and boxes of dry powder with IAEA seals, the possension and destruction of which must be reported to the IAEA, which, heck, is part of what we regularly condemn Saddam and Iran for not reporting!). 3. even if it was, 250 != 360 4. we done blowd some stuff up != we secured and inventoried the site 5. we’ve already spoken to some of the guys that looted explosives from the site 6. this site was just the tip of the iceberg as far as unguarded sites that got looted: [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front\_page/1099052619177610.xml](http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1099052619177610.xml) ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/375 "2004-10-29T17:05:13Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I’m assuming this hasn’t been posted yet. > > Quote: > \*\*U.S. Team Took 200 Tons of Iraqi Explosives > Friday, October 29, 2004 > > WASHINGTON — A U.S. soldier is coming forward Friday to say a team from the 3rd Infantry Division took about 200 tons of explosives from an Iraqi military facility soon after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell last year. > > The soldier will appear before reporters at noon, EDT.\*\* > Apologies if I’m wrong… I just heard the top of the hour news on radio from CNN and NBC. The CNN report says just about what your quote has. The NBC report had an additional clip of the soldier speaking. The soldier talked about destroying TNT, plastic explosives, bullets and other things. I’m not sure if he mentioned the high explosives that are supposedly missing, or if so, what percentage of the 200 tons were those high explosives. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/376 "2004-10-29T17:15:14Z")
Wonderful…Now they don’t even know whether they did or did not destroy some material that the IAEA was charged with keeping track of? I guess it is pretty original to try to come up with a defense that says we weren’t incompetent in this way because we were instead incompetent in this other way. Maybe they’re hoping that we won’t notice. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/377 "2004-10-29T17:26:23Z")
> [@jshore](#): > > Maybe they’re hoping that we won’t notice. I so wish that weren’t such an effective tactic… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/378 "2004-10-29T17:29:48Z")
> [@](#): > > I so wish that weren’t such an effective tactic… Look at the ducky! ---
**Author:** ![braintree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@braintree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/braintree)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/379 "2004-10-29T17:34:09Z")
So far, every defense they’ve tried has crumbled. If this soldier’s story turns out to be gold it will like the Boston Red Sox winning the World Se… Oh shit. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023/380 "2004-10-29T17:36:20Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > Let’s count the problem with the soldier’s story > > 1. wrong date (prior to the photos of the IAEA seals being there) > 2. whatever the blaring drudge and fox headlines say about him talking about “explosives,” “munitions and military material” is not the same thing as explosives (especially not drums and boxes of dry powder with IAEA seals, the possension and destruction of which must be reported to the IAEA, which, heck, is part of what we regularly condemn Saddam and Iran for not reporting!). > 3. even if it was, 250 != 360 > 4. we done blowd some stuff up != we secured and inventoried the site > 5. we’ve already spoken to some of the guys that looted explosives from the site > 6. this site was just the tip of the iceberg as far as unguarded sites that got looted: > [http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front\_page/1099052619177610.xml](http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1099052619177610.xml) PRESS: What do you have to say about the missing explosives at Al Qaqaa? SPOKESMAN: We blew up some explosives. PRESS: Umm … okay, that’s nice. But what does that have to do with the IAEA-sealed explosives at Al Qaqaa? SPOKESMAN: I get to drive a truck. I like trucks. PRESS: Umm … SPOKESMAN: And here’s a picture of a ducky! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/al-qaqaa-where-the-roadside-bombs-come-from/271023.md?page=20)