Regarding the original question, I would be prepared to believe that 96.2% of the fuel load is required to carry the fuel load.
Exactly my thought. Thanks for pre-empting me!
The original quote is an idiomatic metaphorical analogy - to "get off the ground" (i.e. function to achieve the design goal of putting x amount of payload into Earth orbit), the shuttle needed fuel to move the payload, and fuel to move
that fuel, and fuel to move the fuel that moves the fuel....to the point that 96.2% of the fuel is used just to move other fuel, over the entire climb and acceleration.
"Tankering" in the extreme.