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Opinion Polls and the War with Iraq
by The Angry Liberal
Do you ever wonder what sort of idiot actually responds to national opinion polls? Is it somebody who can't afford caller ID or an answering machine? Is it somebody who answers the phone hoping that a telemarketer is going to offer him/her an attractive price on a Fleece-o-matic? Regardless, if these folks represent an accurate gauge of American opinion, we are in a whole lot of trouble. And we are in trouble, in case you hadn't noticed. Here is some information from the latest Zogby poll that I found particularly amusing:
"Currently,
would you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly
oppose a war against Iraq?"
Support 54%
Oppose 41%
Not Sure 5%
From this general question, the fine folks at Zogby add a bit more information:
"Would
you support or oppose a war against Iraq if it included sending in
hundreds of thousands of U.S. ground troops?"
Support 47%
Oppose 45%
Not Sure 8%
What you have just witnessed is amazing. By adding a single undisputed fact to the question of war with Iraq, a majority of Americans either oppose or are unsure about a war. So what changed between the first and second poll questions? Nobody is making the case that a war with Iraq won't involve hundreds of thousands of U.S. ground troops. According to the Pentagon, we have at least 225,000 troops in the region right now, and that number is increasing. Nevertheless, simply reminding polling respondents of this fact caused 7% of the war supporters to jump ship.
Later, Zogby asks this:
"Would
you support or oppose a war against Iraq if there were hundreds of
American casualties?"
Support 46%
Oppose 47%
Not Sure 7%
Oops! Suddenly a majority of Americans oppose Dubya's Big Adventure. Despite this, I'm sure the men and women in uniform must be thrilled to know that Americans are so concerned about their well-being that a whopping 1% of the pro-war crowd would actually miss a few hundred of them enough to oppose the war. Heck, those of us who oppose the war don't think ousting a defanged Saddam Hussein is worth the separation of our soldiers from their families for a hockey season, let alone the deaths of a few hundred of them.
"Would
you support or oppose a war against Iraq if there were thousands of
American casualties?"
Support 41%
Oppose 51%
Not Sure 8%
Kiss another 5% of American support for the war goodbye. It appears that a small percentage of war supporters is unaware that if hostilities erupt, Iraqi troops will likely be shooting back. Slugging it out at close range on the corner of Baghdad Drive and Death to America Boulevard ain't no picnic, folks.
Next, we have this fascinating pair of responses:
"Would
you support or oppose a war against Iraq if it meant thousands of Iraqi
military casualties?"
Support 51%
Oppose 42%
Not Sure 7%
And:
"Would
you support or oppose a war against Iraq if it meant thousands of Iraqi
civilian casualties?"
Support 40%
Oppose 53%
Not Sure 7%
Since the Iraqi military relies heavily on conscripts, it could be argued that military casualties and civilian casualties during a war are pretty much the same thing. According to these responses, however, 11% of Americans don't mind if Iraqi citizens die in a war as long as they are wearing a uniform. You heard right. A smart bomb dropped on an Iraqi citizen forced to hold a gun in his hand poses less of a moral dilemma to these Americans than a smart bomb dropped on an Iraqi citizen who is holding, say, a frying pan. So much for the sanctity of life, right, kids?
George W. Bush says he doesn't pay attention to the polls when formulating decisions. This goes without saying. If he wasn't interested in the will of the people during the 2000 presidential election in which he ran second, why would he possibly want to know what we thought about a war with Iraq? Whereas republicans always accused Bill Clinton of making decisions by putting his finger in the breeze, Bush prefers to simply put his middle finger in our faces. Unless your campaign contribution has a lot of zeros after the first digit, that is. Opinion polls, like elections and massive world peace demonstrations, are merely quaint traditions to the Bush crowd. Isn't it cute that Americans would seek to influence the actions of their "elected" representatives by taking to the streets by the millions? Now, leave us alone. All the screaming and chanting outside the White House is keeping us up past our 7:30 PM bedtimes.
Finally, there's a question that I would like to see asked the next time the Zogbys pick up the phone:
"Would you support or oppose a war against Iraq if it meant that a major U.S. city would be destroyed within the next decade in retaliation for that war?"
Anybody want to guess how this question would poll?
Write The Angry Liberal at: thebigcheese@theangryliberal.com. © 2002, The Angry Liberal
