Letters to the Editor
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and yet, few campaign people seem to regard this as a definitive issue...
glenn,
you're right, of course; a 25 point spread is stone cold proof that the citizens of this nation have made up their minds.
what's troubling is that, really, no one in a position to bring this necessary change in washington seems to regard such vox pop as anything more than an annoying sideshow. even obama, frankly, has gone lighter on iraq as he tries to woo conservative dems from the clinton camp.
it's as though there's some pact NOT to make iraq a defining element of this campaign. and i suspect as times get even harder this year -- and they will, we all know this -- iraq will continue to lose stature in the mix of issues.
the disconnect between the citizenry and their elected representatives on this issue shows just how complete the washington cave-in to corporate interests is (because whatever ism or ideology we choose to blame for this disaster, it wouldn't have happened unless the money was there to be made). that smoke you see on both ends of pennsylvania avenue is from the rubble of the collapse of the republic.
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On the Iraq War and how to end it
I think you are assuming that the American public wants something done in a way that will motivate the President. The trouble with all the polling information is that it is not backed up by protests, demonstrations or other manifestations of public anger. No Kent State tragedy. Telling pollsters what you think does not translate into anything but fodder for articles and opinion pieces.
The public has given up on Iraq and are dealing with the daily struggle to get to and from work, pay for gas, food and rent etc etc. Then there are large crowds who are worried about a sporting event,a tv show or an election rally.
That leaves the pundits to say whatever is the talking point du jour. Today, with Petraeus is town the issue is whether the hearing will help or hurt the candidates: not about the well being of our troops or their families; or the continuing deaths in Iraq.
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Survey says...
That everyone knows what they want right now. Back in the beginning, 2002, the polls said (I think) that people wanted the war - Did that make it right then?
Let's have a discussion about what's right, not what's popular.
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Cook Cokie
The fact that one-third of Republicans favor getting out is not a good sign for McCain.
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What's "right" isn't possible
Let's have a discussion about what's right, not what's popular.
-- bignose
You can't unring a bell or undo a regime change. And you don't get a mulligan with illegal invasions based on false premises. There is no fixing Iraq at this point. Eventually we have to face the facts the our "Strong on Defense Republicans" gave Iraq to Iran wrapped up in a pretty bow at a cost of billions in American treasure and even more precious Iraqi and American blood. What's right is admitting that and getting on with the really difficult job of diplomacy. That requires the kind of strength no Republicans or warhawks of either party have. Iran won.
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Propagandizing Polls
Polls, like intellligence, are invariably cherrypicked, misrepresented and even flat out misstated by supporters of our excellent adventure in Iraq. Today David "Bobo" Brooks decided to twist the results of a poll of Iraqis, apparently having tired of misrepresenting the views of Americans.
This morning Brooks cites a poll of Iraqis conducted in February by ABC and various major foreign news services (including the BBC and Japan's NHK). The poll results he specifically cites are misleading and he even manages to completely misrepresent one of the results. Worst of all, however, is Bobo's decision to cite this poll (albeit poorly and selectively) but then ignore the poll result that goes most directly to Bobo's central thesis in his column this morning. Bobo closes his column by claiming political progress in Iraq.
At this week’s hearings on Capitol Hill, Democrats will declare that the surge has not produced political progress and therefore the whole thing is for naught. That’s wrong. There has been political progress. It just doesn’t look the way we expected it to.
But when asked whether the so-called "surge" had made conditions for political dialogue in Iraq better or worse, only 21% said better, while 79% said the surge had made conditions worse or had no impact at all.
Bobo wants us to believe that there has been political progress in Iraq's fledgling democracy. It's just that hardly any of the Iraqis are aware of it, and most feel that conditions have either deteriorated or stagnated since the surge.
He doesn't tell us how the political situation in a democracy can be improving at the same time nearly 80% of the electorate sees no improvement.
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The Media's Wishful Thinking
It's interesting to look at how media figures project their own viewpoints and interests.
Just yesterday I caught the last five minutes of Chris Matthews and they began discussing the story Clinton has been telling on the trail about a woman who died during childbirth because she didn't have health insurance. Apparently the facts of the case are a little more complicated than the one Clinton told. One of the guests mentioned the wingman story Reagan told that apparently was taken from a movie. Matthews at first tried to differentiate the two stories but then trailed off when he realized he couldn't do so. He then made a strange guttural noise to silence the guest's continued blaspheme against our hero Ronald Reagan.
If this wasn't enough, another peevish looking guest, went on a diatribe about how Clinton has no respect for the press and yet made a mistake a "rookie journalist" wouldn't have made. I think this pretty much sums up most mainstream journalists. They want politicians to show them "respect" or face their wrath.
Mainstream journalists overestimate their power. They only have real power when they uncover the truth, which is to say, most of them have no power at all.
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Propaganding Polls
(Sorry, my previous post had a bad tag that rendered a Brooks' quote indistinguishable from my commentary. Here's the corrected version.)
Polls, like intellligence, are invariably cherrypicked, misrepresented and even flat out misstated by supporters of our excellent adventure in Iraq. Today David "Bobo" Brooks decided to twist the results of a poll of Iraqis, apparently having tired of misrepresenting the views of Americans.
This morning Brooks cites a poll of Iraqis conducted in February by ABC and various major foreign news services (including the BBC and Japan's NHK). The poll results he specifically cites are misleading and he even manages to completely misrepresent one of the results. Worst of all, however, is Bobo's decision to cite this poll (albeit poorly and selectively) but then ignore the poll result that goes most directly to Bobo's central thesis in his column this morning. Bobo closes his column by claiming political progress in Iraq.
At this week’s hearings on Capitol Hill, Democrats will declare that the surge has not produced political progress and therefore the whole thing is for naught. That’s wrong. There has been political progress. It just doesn’t look the way we expected it to.
But when asked whether the so-called "surge" had made conditions for political dialogue in Iraq better or worse, only 21% said better, while 79% said the surge had made conditions worse or had no impact at all.
Bobo wants us to believe that there has been political progress in Iraq's fledgling democracy. It's just that hardly any of the Iraqis are aware of it, and most feel that conditions have either deteriorated or stagnated since the surge.
He doesn't tell us how the political situation in a democracy can be improving at the same time nearly 80% of the electorate sees no improvement.