[Rhodes22-list] Politics: A View From The Ground & polls
Robert Skinner
robert at squirrelhaven.com
Sat Oct 9 14:23:12 EDT 2004
Steve wrote:
> The lastest polls I saw confirmed that the vast
> miltary (all branches) supports Bush and that the war
> is going quite well despite how the media is reporting
> it.
> Steve
--------------------------------------------------
Steve,
I have to temper my belief in such polls for a
number of reasons:
1. As stated by someone else, the troops are
generally discouraged from making political
statements -- specially those counter to the
positions held by the commander in chief.
2. While a lot of the military is in Iraq, it
is far from the majority, and many have never
seen combat, specially those not in the infantry
or Marine Corps. Flying bullets and hostile
faces can affect your enthusiasm.
3. Given the difficulty and danger of travel on
the ground in Iraq, I have to suspect that many
polls are conducted in hotel rooms with small
samples. Also, issuing adverse reports is a sure
way to jeopardize your security cover if you are
able to get to the field.
4. Private communications from family members
and children of friends are almost universally
negative, which casts doubt on the positive
reports from government sources.
I wish we were doing better, but don't see a lot
of evidence to support such a hope.
/Bob Skinner
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