Bush on cutting imports: really, it was a joke

Rarely does the leed of an newspaper article cut so deeply (via Shrillblog):

KR Washington Bureau | 02/01/2006 | Administration backs off Bush's vow to reduce Mideast oil imports

WASHINGTON - One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally...

Bush's people feel they've proved beyond a reasonable doubt that 20% [1] of the voting American public are blithering idiots. Maybe they give him lines like these to test the resilience of this hard-core non-sentience. Perhaps they're trying to tell us "stop me before I kill again".

[1] Bush's approval rating is usually about 42%. About half of his hard core base feel he is serving messianic duties. I don't agree with that, but if that's one's belief then it's not idiotic to support him. That leaves my 20% estimate.