Kerry Spot, with the excellent reporting from Jamie McIntyre on Lou Dobbs:

Pentagon officials argue it’s more likely the explosives were moved as part of the prewar dispersal ordered by Saddam Hussein. That would have come sometime after March 3, 2003, the last time the International Atomic Energy Agency checked that security seals placed on the bunkers were in tact and before the war actually began March 20.

On April 10 of 2003, the day after the fall of Baghdad, troops from the 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division reached the site. No weapons under IAEA seal were found, but the soldiers were advancing on Baghdad and officials acknowledge they didn’t conduct a thorough inspection.

Sometime in the next month, May 2003, the IAEA says it relayed concerns to the U.S. government about the stockpile falling into the wrong hands.

Finally, on May 27, more than six weeks after the April visit, a special U.S. exploitation team looking for weapons of mass destruction searched all 32 bunkers and 87 buildings. Again, the stockpile was not found.

While Pentagon officials admit the facility was not completely secured between April 10 and May 27, they say many U.S. troops remained in the general area, and, although small-scale looting was certainly possible, officials scoff at the idea the large number of heavy trucks that would have been required to transport the 380 tons of missing explosives could have been moved into and out of the facility unnoticed during that time.

And this, for laughs:

DOBBS: Well, my next guest is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, commentator known for his liberal turned conservative views. Described by the “Chicago Tribune” as a born-again Republican. Joining me now is Dennis Miller. Hallelujah, Dennis, good to have you with us.

DENNIS MILLER, HOST, “DENNIS MILLER”: Hey, Lou, my theory, by the way, before we get under way here, that Howell Raines and Jayson Blair are working in conjunction, raided the weapons’ cache at al Qa Qaa and are using the weapons to leverage Hootie Johnson to let women play at Augusta National. I trace as one of my facts the fact that “all Qa Qaa” has replaced “all the news that’s fit to print” on “The Times” masthead now.

I’ve said before and I’ll say it again that it seems that Rathergate — the TANG memos and Bush’s service — were supposedcto be the October surprise, brought out to highlight the bravery of Kerry with the cowardice of party boy Bush, but that the TANG story could not be held in reserve; it had to be used in early September as an attempt to halt the Kerry slide because of the SwiftBoatVets. So instead the Gang of 500 cooked up QaQaagate, another phony story, to show how really really bad a Commander in Chief is next to the Democratic candidate.

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