Chemical weapons remain threat beyond Iraq search for WMD

Stockpiles persist from China to Alabama

CHARLES J. HANLEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

They were no-shows in Iraq, but tons of chemical weapons are stoking fears and costing billions to clean up elsewhere in the world -- from concrete "igloos" in Oregon, to the Panama rainforest, to the highlands of China, where Japanese war leftovers reportedly have killed hundreds.

In fact, more chemical munitions have turned up lately in Australia than in Iraq, where the Bush administration claimed up to 500 tons would be found. As Baghdad arms hunters searched in vain, chemical weapons material was even being unearthed in Washington, D.C., four miles from the White House.

At least 8 million such weapons are stockpiled worldwide, and concern is deepening not only over the health and safety of nearby communities, but also over the threat of theft or attacks on depots brimming with sarin or VX, fearsome nerve agents that can kill by the drop.

How ironic, while over a U.S. soldiers have lost their lives because Bush claimed Iraq had WMDs in did not have, there are tons and tons of the stuff elsewhere in the world. Is there any better evidence of the Bush administration's mispalced priorities?