Explosive Government Stupidity

From the Washington Post:

The CIA left “explosive training material” under the hood of a Loudoun County school bus after a training exercise last week, a bus that was used to ferry elementary and high school students to and from school on Monday and Tuesday with the material still sitting in the engine compartment, according to the CIA and Loudoun County officials. 

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the CIA said in statements Thursday that the explosive material was left behind after a training exercise at Briar Woods High School during spring break. The CIA said it was a training scenario for explosives-detecting dogs. 

I would call this an "epic fail" for the dog that was supposed to find it. Bad dog!

Continuing...

CIA officials said in a statement that the material “did not pose a danger to passengers on the bus,” which was used on March 28 and 29. Authorities held a joint training program at Briar Woods from March 21 to 24. 

Loudoun schools spokesman Wayde Byard said the CIA indicated the nature of the material but asked the school system not to disclose it. Byard described it as a “putty-type” material designed for use on the battlefield and which requires a special detonator; such putty, or plastic, explosives — including the well-known C-4 — are used in demolition and are considered stable.

No danger folks, as long as the bus doesn't drop below 50 mph...Oh wait, wrong movie.

No danger, with C-4 on top of a school bus engine. It isn't like the engine produces enough energy to set off C-4, right?

It gets better:

[Loudoun schools spokesman Wayde Byard] said school bus drivers check under the hoods of their buses before they take them out on the road, but the package was wedged too far deep inside the engine compartment and was the same color as the hoses, so it could not easily be seen.

In other words, the bus drivers either are incapable of spotting a bomb, or just too lazy about looking for it to actually do any good. I bet the Loudoun schools' parents feel really good about their children's safety now!

Finally....

The bus was taken to a school system facility on Wednesday for routine maintenance. Byard said the county’s buses are regularly taken off-line to check their spark plugs, hoses and to rotate tires. It was during a routine inspection that a technician discovered the explosive material. 

"Hey Bubba, what's this putty stuff in the engine? Looks like it fell off something?"

Seriously, let's be thankful for the mechanic who was the ONLY person in this scenario to have the brains to spot the bomb.