Despite the best efforts of our esteemed Democratic leadership, the American public believes that yes, we can win the war in Iraq:
A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same.
The poll comes ahead of a September report to Congress by David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, on the progress of the so-called surge in quelling attacks by insurgents and creating an atmosphere where the new Iraqi government can develop.
The good news for Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi is that 86% of the people in their own party believe the surge is not working so their constant refrain of retreat and loss is working on the party which is heavily invested in our losing. At least someone in the country is actually paying attention to them.
The media has been beating the drum of losing so incessantly that it seems people just stopped paying attention to them. Perhaps they're reading alternate coverage that paints a more realistic picture of the actual situation, one in which we are in fact making progress but still have a ways to go.
Our effective strategy in Anbar Province has been striking in its success and the day in-day out hard work put forward by our soldiers, sailors and Marines is paying nice dividends. I feel for the anti-war left who will find this as very bad news. I'm sure they'll blow it off as an anomaly or say that the 54% are imbeciles, but they can't spin the fact that despite the efforts of the entire left-wing blogosphere and groups such as MoveOn, the American public just is not buying their pessimistic rhetoric. Americans want to win and they want to wash the bad taste of Vietnam out of their mouths while libs want to relive those glory days forever. The fact that Iraq is the key to the entire War on Terror is either ignored or conveniently forgotten.
I can't wait to see the Petraeus report and watch the "progressives" whirl like dervishes attempting to spin it as bad news.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. http://www.bannedmagazine.com/SaudiArabia.08292007.htm
vegastracon at 5:08PM on Aug 29th 2007
2. Its not really a war anymore. Winning, therefore, is the wrong concept. We need to be working for peace, or stability, or at least detente between the Iraqi peoples. Then we need their help to kick out al Qaeda.
Steve Bonomo at 5:42PM on Aug 29th 2007
3. In one recent poll 20% believed the bulk of their retirement would come from a winning lottery ticket. If Zogby's poll was acurate, 20% of those who took the poll believe the same. Is anyone this stupid actually going to be able to offer an intelligent opinion on Iraq? Would you want our elected leaders relying on these people's opinions when forming public policy? Imagine how screwed up this country if we let lottery believers set federal tax policy.
The next time you see poll results on any subject matter think about the following statistics.
75% of American's don't have a college degree.
25% don't have a high school education.
50% have not read a book since high school.
60% can't find Iraq on a map.
50% have an IQ less than 100.
These people take polls and yet most don't have the basic knowledge to form an intelligent opinion about anything. They are lucky they can get to work and back without getting lost. Would we expect a heart doctor to take a poll on how to perform a complicated surgery? Of field experts yes, but not from the general public. The same can be said about Iraq. The people taking these polls likley know far more about the human heart than they know about foreign policy or military strategy. My point, is that most people don't have the knowledge, education or intelligence to form an opinion worth a damn. If those taking the polls are ignorant, what is the value of polls?
Polls are just an option for news media outlets to use to create news instead of reporting it.
Clay at 6:03PM on Aug 29th 2007
4. Good posting Clay (8/29) ! An uninformed democracy will never bring real freedom for its citizens, just the illusion of it (freedumb is actually FREE, CHEAP and WORTHLESS)!!!!
Robb at 3:25PM on Aug 30th 2007
5. Clay (29-August) Dead on. Good analysis.
alan at 3:30PM on Aug 30th 2007
6. I don't have diect access to the statistics and analysis. Help me understand how Iraq is the key to the entire War on Terror?
How many terrorists, whose goal was something other than getting their country back, have struck?
What fraction of the violence has been getting the US and allies out or inter-denominational strife vs. anything else?
alan at 3:47PM on Aug 30th 2007
7. Clay #3 - Let me get this straight... Americans are just too ignorant and ill informed to be asked anything about anything. Do you think we should, using this logic, have an intelligence test to determine who is qualified to vote? I get fustrated too with the lack of knowledge of history and current events I see and hear every day but I think that Americans do the right thing more often than not. It should be pointed out that polls have a built in bias and Zogby is a well documented liberal. So for him to come out with a poll that is this optimistic about the current strategies in Irag it is just short of amazing.
Joe Edgington at 5:46PM on Aug 30th 2007
8. First off, I've never even HEARD of zogby, and I highly doubt any of their polls are to be actually taken seriously. If it was a Gallup Poll, fine, but Zogby? What the hell is that???
Second, the American public is basically stupid, so even if these ARE accurate poll results, it really means nothing.
Lastly, with biased editorials such as these being presented as "news," what is this saying about the state of our Press? It scares me.
Alex at 8:41PM on Aug 30th 2007
9. Gallup poll as it different--I don't trust anything a Rep/conservatives says.
In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do yo think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or Not?
Aug 3-5 Yes 57% believe it was a mistake
42% said it is good that we went into Iraq.
1. Most Americans support the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, but there is only limited spport for immediate withdrawal.
2. A majority of Americans support the idea of timetabable of troops from Iraq. When asked, Americas seem to prefer keeping troops for only about another year, but they will expect troops to be there longer than that.
3. Since the summer of 2005, opponents of the war have tended to outnumber supporters. A Majority of Americans believe the war was a mistake.
Democrats are now seen as better on the issue of Iraq. Americans say they trut the Democrats in Congress more then the administartaion when it comes to decisions on Iraq.
Gallup poll 8-11-07
Dancerpl2 at 8:43PM on Aug 30th 2007
10. Who died and made you people think you're smarter and more intelligent that the average America. People who ignore the past will make the same mistakes today and some yo-yo will be critiquing you.
Ed Jones at 2:39PM on Sep 1st 2007
11. WHY DO REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO SAY WE ARE WINNING AND ALL WE NEED IS MORE TIME? I TRULY BELIEVE WE HAVE SPENT TOO MUCH TIME THERE NOW. HOW LONG DO THEY WANT? FOREVER? YEP, THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT. G.W. WILL NEVER SAY THESE WORDS "I WAS WRONG" AND I MEAN HE WILL NEVER SAY THOSE WORDS ABOUT ANYTHING. ALL HE WANTS IS TO SAY IS "I WON" AND I THINK THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. IN HIS LIFETIME WHAT HAS HE ACCOMPLISHED? OH, YES HE STAYED OUT OF HARMS WAY!
MARGARET at 6:32PM on Sep 2nd 2007
12. One day we will all look back on this political BS and realize President Bush was right and I hope you all are around to see it. God bless America !
E JONES at 7:55AM on Sep 3rd 2007