The 'revelation' that 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives have allegedly gone missing from the Al Qaqaa former Iraqi military complex near Baghdad has caused a political storm in Washington. Senator John Kerry has accused President George W. Bush of "incredible incompetence" and his aides have called for the Bush Administration to "answer for what may be the most grave and catastrophic mistake in a tragic series of blunders in Iraq."[1]
The controversy arose after The New York Times published an exposé[2] based on leaked information—most likely originating from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), headed by Director General Mohammed ElBaradei. Information had also been leaked to the CBS documentary program 60 Minutes. The Times article reported that the IAEA had received a letter from the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology on October 10 reporting the loss of 341.7 metric tons of HMX, RDX, and PETN. Are U.N. officials attempting to influence the U.S. presidential election? |