Bush Estimates That 30,000 Iraqis Killed

"President Bush offered encouragement to war-weary Iraqis on Monday but acknowledged they have paid a heavy price _ 30,000 dead _ as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and its bloody aftermath."

"I would say 30,000 more or less have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," the president said.

30,000 he says. Think that's accurate? Just how much, more or less?

Well, as of last month, the estimate was 100,000, according to this site:

100,000 Iraqi civilians dead, says study

"About 100,000 Iraqi civilians - half of them women and children - have died in Iraq since the invasion, mostly as a result of airstrikes by coalition forces, according to the first reliable study of the death toll from Iraqi and US public health experts. The study, which was carried out in 33 randomly-chosen neighbourhoods of Iraq representative of the entire population, shows that violence is now the leading cause of death in Iraq. Before the invasion, most people died of heart attacks, stroke and chronic illness. The risk of a violent death is now 58 times higher than it was before the invasion. "

Is he "misleading" the Iraqis? Has he been misled by inaccurate intelligence?

Well to me, his track record speaks for itself; He's just lying again.