Talking Points Memo is covering it in detail, after the story was broken by the Nelson Report, a private newsletter (no web site) reporting on Asia. Apparently, 350 tons of high explosive was looted early on in the U.S. occupation of Iraq–you remember, the looting which Rumsfeld pooh-poohed as insignificant, looting caused by a lack of sufficient troops which the administration tried to say wasn’t important–and, as Kerry pointed out in the debates, is now being used against our own people every day in Iraq. Explosives which may have killed hundreds of our troops, in the hands of the insurgents because Bush did not do the job right. Apparently this type of explosive could also be used to trigger a nuclear device.

What’s more, it was covered up: it seems that the Bush administration and the DoD did not report this to the IAEA or other bodies that it should be telling, and told the Iraqi government not to inform anyone either. Not to mention that it withheld this information from the American people. Considering the potential political implications of the story, this could be big. Expect it to break in the mainstream press soon. And keep in mind that Kerry was talking about this weeks ago.

Update: The New York Times is now carrying the story. And it seems to be 380 tons, not 350.