Did Bush really say this?

[Hamlette]

I heard a sound bite but am not sure I heard correctly. Did he say: "We are currently discovering and disarming 50% of the IEDs in Iraq."?

He couldn't have said that. What am I missing? How the hell does anyone know how many IEDs there are in Iraq? Does he mean for each one that goes off, we disarm one? What about the "undiscovered" ones?

(It reminds me of the tourist asking the park ranger/tour guide in the four corners region (think, lots of Native American ruins) "How many undiscovered ruins are there in the park?")

[MADem]

1. Maybe it means everytime one blows up, they find one before it does

So we are losing only HALF of the arms, legs, and lives that we ordinarily would!!!

Freedom is on the march....on one bloody stump of a leg~~~~~!

[sciouscience]

11. just a stupid pun to keep you frothing.

"We are currently discovering and disarming 50% of the IUDs in Amiraqa."
save the babies, save the babies! save all those poor li'l babies so we can enlist 'em all!

[babylonsister]

2. From what I understand, according to dimson today, Iraq is now

GETTING IEDs from Iran. And where did that massive pile that the US left there go to, used up/gone/blown up already? Who knew? :eyes:

[RoyGBiv]

7. Getting IEDs ...

So, they're, what, importing improvised explosive devices from another country? I thought the whole point of an improvised explosive device was that one improvised building it with what materials were readily available, preventing the need to work up manufacturing or import infrastructure.

Fun with language, I suppose. Before long we'll be told we must take out these factories in Iran where the improvised explosive devices are being made.

I'd laugh if it weren't for the fact most people won't scrutinize this idiocy in the least.

[Kagemusha]

8. Bonus points for picking up on this silly word game.

I've held my tongue but I've been shaking my head at this issue for a while for exactly your reasons.

[Chipper Chat]

9. Just another Iran-jab.

Piling on the "Iran is about to nuke us so we better bomb the shit out of 'em soon"
mantra.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. It's one of those "off the top of your head" figures

Nobody is allowed to question it, and even if they did, all they would get is "There is an on-going investigation". Welcome to Freedonia.

[Pryderi]

4. It's like when Condi said we'd "broken up 75% of the Al Qaeda known..

RICE: We have broken up 75 percent of the Al Qaeda known leadership. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia fully --

BLITZER: Well, when you say "75 percent," of how many leaders are we talking -- 75 percent of a quantity of what? 30, 25?

RICE: Of its known leadership.

BLITZER: But how many --

RICE: I would suspect that that's in the tens to hundreds -- tens to 100.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410090004

[Mythsaje]

6. Translate to:

"We have no idea, but we like to pretend we do."

[Swamp Rat]

5. "Mission Accomplished"

Do not question der Führer!

:D

[upi402]

10. 50% of all statistics are made up

half-truth, that.

[Neil Lisst]

12. It presumes for every one that explodes, we find one other & stop it

That is the only possible interpretation.

Of course, there are all the ones they still haven't found.

I think we are seeing that the insurgents still have enough numbers and resources.

[Hekate]

13. Yes, he said that, sounding more delusional than ever

Just yesterday I saw an MSM report that said IED explosions over the past 12 months were over 10,000 -- but the year before that, somewhere around 5,000. (Anyone with the exact numbers, don't hesitate to let us know.)

In other words, IED attacks have doubled. So, is the Idiot in Chief trying to tell us there were over 20,000 IEDs lying around last year, but "only" 10,000 of them blew bystanders to smithereens?

Freedom is on the march!

Hekate