Tons of Explosives Supposed to Be Under American Control Missing

The Bush administration's incompetency in Iraq rears its ugly head again. One day after 44 newly trained Iraqi policemen and their drivers were massacred after being allowed to travel the dangerous Iraqi highways unarmed and unescorted, reports have surfaced that 380 tons of explosives supposed to be under the guard of the American forces in Iraq have disappeared.

CNN.com - IAEA: Tons of Iraq explosives missing - Oct 25, 2004

"The Iraqi letter to IAEA identified the vanished explosives as containing 194.7 metric tons of HMX, or 'high melting point explosive,' 141.2 metric tons of RDX, or "rapid detonation explosive," among other designations, and 5.8 metric tons of PETN, or 'pentaerythritol tetranitrate.'"

BBC- Tons of Iraqi Explosives Missing

"The IAEA said the US-led coalition had been warned about the danger posed by the explosives on several occasions. It says the coalition forces were specifically told to keep the material secured."

According to experts "the explosives could be used in powerful conventional weapons or to detonate nuclear devices."

A spokesman for the IAEA said that the organization had been informed by the Iraqi government on October 10.

The Iraqi interim government has blamed the disappearance of the explosive material on "theft and looting."

In 2003, the material had been under the supervision of the IAEA, who had to abandon the site due to the beginning of the Iraq War.

The Iraqi government has said that it's most likely that these explosives are already in the hands of terrorists and insurgents.

The administration has informed reporters that National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice was informed about the theft one month ago.

Mohamed El Baradei, the Director General of the IAEA, has said that he is "very concerned about the disappearance."

Very concerned? Putting it lightly, don't you think?

John Kerry used stronger language, calling Bush's failure to secure such a tremendously dangerous quantity of high grade explosives "stunning incompetence"

That's more like it.

Senior Kerrry advisor and former advisor to President Clinton, Joe Lockhart, posed some difficult questions for the administration:

"How did they fail to secure nearly 380 tons of known, deadly explosives despite clear warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency to do so? And why was this information unearthed by reporters -- and was it covered up by our national security officials?"

The Bush administration has conceded that the baffling and terrifying disappearance of these explosives is "bad news for the President."

When are we going to stop believing that this President is better for the safety of America? If he can't even keep explosives (that he had was specifically warned about) out of the hands of terrorists in Iraq, what makes anybody think he can keep this country safe? What makes anybody think he can finish the job in Iraq? These explosives are in the hands of terrorists because of the war in Iraq.

In other news, the price of oil reached new highs today as a result of oilworker strikes in Norway. It's reached up to $55.60 in European trading.