The more I think about the missing explosives story the less likely it seems. According to the story, 377 tons of explosives were looted by terrorists after the US invaded Iraq. I already mentioned some of the logistical problems in transporting this quantity. Even using semis, it would take a fleet of nearly 40 trucks.

That's assuming that terrorists knew exactly where to go and what to take.

So, if terrorists have this huge store of explosives, why haven't they used it? The likely answer is that it is easier to use ready-made weapons then to make bombs from scratch from this stuff. If this is true then it raises new questions. Specifically, why take it at all or why take all of it? If one pound can destroy an airplane, why take nearly 400 tons? Why not stop at one ton or even 100 pounds? (Actually, the missing explosives are an ingredient in the more powerful explosive that blew up the plane but that makes it less attractive to steal.)

All of this makes it really likely that the explosives were moved somewhere else before the war. There is a report that the Russians helped.

Charles Duelfer, chief US arms inspector in Iraq points out that "Iraq was awash in hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives." When dealing with these quantities, some of it is bound to slip out.

Are these explosives so dangerous that they rate special status? If so then why did the IAEA allow Saddam to keep them in 1995 instead of ordering them destroyed? And again, if they are so dangerous then why are RPGs the weapon of choice for the insergency?

Once again it seems that the media rushed ahead to air a story that would hurt Bush without having all of the facts.