Forget all the statistics contained in the Zogby poll released today which purports to show that 72% of U.S. troops in Iraq say the war should end this year. It’s all suspect as far as I’m concerned. Yet, this paragraph stood out to me as important:
Different branches had quite different sentiments on the question, the poll shows. While 89% of reserves and 82% of those in the National Guard said the U.S. should leave Iraq within a year, 58% of Marines think so. Seven in ten of those in the regular Army thought the U.S. should leave Iraq in the next year. Moreover, about three-quarters of those in National Guard and Reserve units favor withdrawal within six months, just 15% of Marines felt that way. About half of those in the regular Army favored withdrawal from Iraq in the next six months.
So, what’s the one real take-away fact from this poll?
Reservists and National Guard troops are wimps.*
Marines rock.*
End of story.
Others: John Hawkins on another bogus poll – CBS’ Bush Approval Rating – “For political purposes, any poll that doesn’t use likely voters and doesn’t have a breakdown of party affiliation that’s at least roughly similar to the numbers from the last election isn’t very important or useful.”
(*My statement on the abilities of a segment of our armed services is as valid as the results of the poll itself. Lighten up.)
Wow. Just … wow.
First of all, way to Support Our Troops®! Sure, you’ll support ’em, right up to the point where they question your simplistic worldview, at which point you’ll turn on ’em like a wet dog. Your loyalty to the men and women doing the actual fighting and dying in this war would be touching, were you not so – what’s that word I’m looking for? – oh, yeah: disloyal. Here’s a suggestion. Why don’t you go call some of these reservists and guardsmen “wimps” to their faces?
Second, it seems to have escaped your attention that a solid majority of Marines (almost six in ten) also support imminent withdrawal. Why don’t you tell some of them that they’re wimps? Just be sure to let me know when and where you plan to do such a thing, because I really want to watch what happens next.
Hey, while you’re at it, why don’t you go make fun of some of the soldiers who have returned from Iraq without limbs – you may feel free to limit this exercise to injured and disfigured reservists and guardsmen, if you would like – so that they, too, can know the depth of your support? I hear they really like being called “cripples” and “gimps,” especially by a brave and honorable patriot such as yourself.
Finally, re: your quote from John Hawkins – leaving aside for a moment the relative merit (or lack thereof) to his argument, you do realize that it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with what you’re on about, don’t you? He’s talking about political polls, and their usefulness in determining the pulse of the electorate. He’s talking about the relationship of polls to voting. Voting has nothing to do with getting your ass shot up in Tikrit or Sadr City.
In short: What a giant douche you are.
Gotcha!
You obviously haven’t spent any time reading this blog. My sarcasm went right over your head.
My statement on the abilities of a segment of our armed services is as valid as the results of the poll itself.
Stick around, read me more, then come back to this and see if you ‘get it’.
Do you think this poll was a liberal fabrication designed to obfuscate and confuse? Because a couple of years back the same polls showed high levels of support for the war in Iraq, and you didn’t tell readers to disregard them as bogus back then. As a former journalist and pollster, I’d have to conclude you are telling your readers to disregard this poll because it says stuff you don’t want to hear and/or don’t want to believe. That’s fine. But you’re only fooling yourself.