Pincus: Data Reveal Inaccuracies in Portrayal of Iraqis (Lies about polls)

[kskiska]

By Walter Pincus

Top Bush administration officials in the past weeks have been citing a pair of public opinion polls to demonstrate that Iraqis have a positive view of the U.S. occupation. But an examination of those polls indicates Iraqis have a less enthusiastic view than the administration has portrayed.

For example, in testimony before Congress, L. Paul Bremer III, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz both cited a recent Gallup Poll that found that almost two-thirds of those polled in Baghdad said it was worth the hardships suffered since the U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein. Bremer also told Congress that 67 percent thought that in five years they would be better off, and only 11 percent thought they would be worse off.

That same poll, however, found that, countrywide, only 33 percent thought they were better off than they were before the invasion and 47 percent said they were worse off. And 94 percent said that Baghdad was a more dangerous place for them to live, a finding the administration officials did not discuss.

The poll also found that 29 percent of Baghdad residents had a favorable view of the United States, while 44 percent had a negative view. By comparison, 55 percent had a favorable view of France.

Similarly, half of Baghdad residents had a negative view of President Bush, while 29 percent had a favorable view of him. In contrast, French President Jacques Chirac drew a 42 percent favorable rating.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14545-2003Sep28.html

[Fridays Child]

1. I'm more than a wee bit skeptical about the results of any poll...

...conducted in a country that has no reliable structure in place for collecting data. For example, who was interviewed and how were they chosen?

Smells like disinformation to me.

[IndianaGreen]

6. No phones and no electricity

How are they polling? Who are they polling?

[grasswire]

2. OMG

This is how "grownups" govern, eh? Through lies?

[ninkasi]

3. I think it's the only way they know

to govern. The truth would bring the * thugs down so hard, they'd never find their way up. There is almost nothing they have done that they can afford to tell the truth about, and my use of "almost" is giving them the benefit of the doubt.

[Ivory_Tower]

4. This is government run by advertisers

Everything this administration does appears to be managed only from an "image" standpoint, with no concern about reality or consequences. We tend to draw parallels with this administration and Goebbels, but Madison Avenue is a better analogy.

One lesson I've learned is to NEVER vote for a candidate who has an MBA. Sorry to the MBAs out there, but this is an association that I can't break.

[grytpype]

5. Truly unbelievable. Read the whole article, you won't believe it.

Cheney was lying through his teeth about the poll!

"The U.S. wins hands down," Cheney said, when Iraqis were asked what model of government they would prefer among five choices. Cheney's information, according to an aide, came from the American Enterprise essay on the poll that said 37 percent of respondents chose the United States, and 28 percent selected Saudi Arabia.

But a look at the raw data from the poll on the magazine's Web site revealed different figures. According to the data, only 21.5 percent chose the United States, while 20 percent refused to select any model, and 16 percent selected the Saudi government.

Cheney also said, "If you want to ask them do they want an Islamic government established, by two-to-one margins they say no, including the Shia population." He said that when asked how long they want the Americans to stay, "over 60 percent of the people polled said they want the U.S. to stay for at least another year."

[Old and In the Way]

7. Wouldn't it really make more sense to tell us when Cheney is truthful?

I doubt that 21.5% would choose the Halliburton Government model, anyway...we sure as hell didn't.