[antimedia] antimedia: A new poll out today....

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Posted by antimedia:
A new poll out today....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1172028875.shtml


   ....seems to put the lie to the [1]get out of Iraq now meme that
   pervades the left and the media.

     The survey also found that voters thought it would hurt American
     prestige more to pull out of Iraq immediately (59 percent) than it
     would to stay there for the long term (35 percent). Public Opinion
     Strategies "scored the best win-loss record among the major polling
     and media firms in the 2004 election" and was named Pollster of the
     Year in 2002.

   The results of the poll are startling -- dramatically different than
   previous poll results. However, the questions asked are significantly
   different as well.

     27 percent said "the Iraq war is the front line in the battle
     against terrorism and our troops should stay there and do whatever
     it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide
     security to their country."
     23 percent said "while I don't agree that the U.S. should be in the
     war, our troops should stay there and do whatever it takes to
     restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to
     their country."

   When you compare these questions to the ones asked in [2]other polls
   it's no wonder this one seems so completely different. The bias in the
   questions from the other polls is obvious when you compare them side
   by side.
   I don't put much stock in polls, and this is the reason. The poll
   results depend entirely upon the questions asked.
   For example, a binary "Do you approve of the way George Bush is doing
   his job" question doesn't distinguish between those who oppose the
   President entirely and those who are simply unhappy with some of his
   decisions.
   Here's another example: "As you may know, the Bush Administration has
   begun to significantly increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to
   help stabilize the situation there. Do you favor or oppose this?"
   What does "significantly" mean? Furthermore, the word is a judgment
   call. Is add 21,000 troops to an existing force of 140,000
   "significant"? Did the poll respondents even know how many were being
   sent? If not, the question tilts their answers, and the results are
   not useful.

References

   1. http://wizbangblog.com/2007/02/20/poll-americans-believe-we-should-stand-behind-president-bush-during-wartime.php
   2. http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm