Well-crafted piece that begins to answer a crucial question: Can IEDs be stopped. Hint: Despite the hoopla about these "new" weapons I have a Chinese Communist picture booklet about the World War II era showing how improvised "mines" can be made and used. There is nothing new or innovative about IEDs. We just were not ready for them.

Only considers the point of view of the US military.

Not a happy story to read. It must have been heart break to research and report this story, so thanks to the reporters. It was well written, but it left me with the feeling that there is NO solution possible, and I really shudder to think that that may be the case.

Bush-spin cues abound: "war" rather than invasion and occupation, "insurgents" as though they started the shooting, treating IEDs as uncivilized when million dollar machines that kill are civilized. The strategies of human respect and not killing 1 million people in the country are not perceived as strategies. The article is a somewhat boy-ish fascination with weapons and tactics.

This isn't journalism. It's advocacy. Unnamed sources sniping at people who have responsibility to do a job. Just about what one should expect.

It missed out on the fact that IEDs kill Iraqi civilians 29 times out of 30. There is no necessity for the terrorists to murder civilian noncombatants. But they do, and this is covered up as much as possible by the media.