85% of US troops in Iraq link Saddam to 9/11

The troops are just starting to find out about this phony poll conducted by an antiwar arab pollster for an antiwar activist group, and are outraged by it. How did they ever think they'd get away with this?

3-2-2006 1:09 PM

What are you saying Godfrey ? That they don't believe Saddam and 9/11 are linked ? I don't follow you. Who cares who conducted the poll ? In this case the question seems pretty simple.

3-2-2006 1:13 PM

I never pay attention to polls. You can construct and conduct them to produce any desired result. if I ever slip up and quote a poll here, call me on it.

3-2-2006 1:19 PM

"...antiwar arab pollster..."

It is fine to critique polls and their methodology. I would even say it is understandable to express skepticism of a poll if you believe the pollster has an ideological stake in the results (although that doesn't go very far in debunking the poll). I draw the line at judgements of a poll based on the pollster's ethnicity, which does not get us very far in determining if the pollster used sound survey techniques. If anyone dismissed a poll because it was conducted by a "jew pollster" they'd be rightly condemned as anti-semitic.

3-2-2006 1:23 PM

Godfrey, I'm sure you dream of a society that never pays attention to elections either.

Very good point jklugman. And I'd add that there are actually scientific method to conduct polls. With really proven theories behind them. That's what my sister is doing for a living (she's a statistician - does the word exist in English ?).

3-2-2006 1:31 PM

Guillaume, yes, that is a word. Can you say if your sister works for a polling firm or company, and if so, which one? I used data from the Eurobarometer for my master's thesis and I'd be curious to know if she works on that particular survey.

3-3-2006 4:06 PM

anonymology

If this poll is valid, I suppose one could argue that, with the failed attempt to avenge 9/11 by going into Afghanistan (does anyone in the Bush Administration even mention Bin Laden anymore?!), the American troops simply have to believe that they are there for a reason that is of great importance to their country; no matter the evidence to the contrary.

3-3-2006 6:14 PM

No jklugman, she doesn't work for a polling company, but for the French
government, in a little administration more or less linked to the
ministry of finance. She's not conducting polls, she (and her team) is
analyzing the statistics of all polls for a long time and elaborating
policies after them, or trying to guess tendencies of the society, etc.
Well anyway that's why I understood

3-3-2006 6:16 PM

That's cool. Sounds like important work she's doing--I hope when I get out of grad school I'll be doing something as important.

3-3-2006 6:20 PM

"Godfrey, I'm sure you dream of a society that never pays attention to elections either."

Guillaume, can you explain the purpose or usefulness of this sort of postulation without basis. It's so silly.

3-3-2006 6:21 PM

Well, she's working in a little team now, and they're not in charge of the policies, they just give reports to people above them. But she may become important, who knows

3-3-2006 6:24 PM

Godfrey: No, sorry, I can't. It was just, you know, a little tease. Sorry I forgot the smiley

It was due to your comment about polls. Polls are nothing more (or anyway are supposed to be) than an indication of the opinion of the people. But you're right, it's very easy to make them say what we want, and to misinterpret the results. There are serious poll companies though, using scientific methods.

3-3-2006 6:34 PM

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/E8ADE104-56DA-4345-A1E8-A3D0DEC880D6/

But you're right, it's very easy to make them say what we want, and to misinterpret the results.

Don't worry Guillaume, it can happen to any one of us.

3-3-2006 6:38 PM

Good find Jklugman

3-3-2006 6:40 PM

Godfrey: I never pay attention to polls. You can construct and conduct them to produce any desired result. if I ever slip up and quote a poll here, call me on it.

http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/E8ADE104-56DA-4345-A1E8-A3D0DEC880D6
Any comment Godfrey ??

3-3-2006 7:00 PM

amishsteve

Check <a href="http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/2D715CB1-89BE-4E54-B52C-0A9976DE53F0/">this</a>.

3-3-2006 7:00 PM

amishsteve

Sorry, try this: http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/2D715CB1-89BE-4E54-B52C-0A9976DE53F0/

3-3-2006 8:03 PM

As I said, if I ever slip up and QUOTE a poll, in other words, in discussion, if I offer as evidence a poll result, call me on it.

The other point is that this poll was clipped because it, in large part, conforms with knowns, whereas the other was an attempt to overturn knowns.

3-4-2006 5:57 AM

Wow, so you accept polls only when they conforms to what previous polls said ? What's the point in making a poll then ?

3-4-2006 7:15 AM

I'm wondering what's the point of debating a person who blatantly says polls are worthless except those that agree with him.

3-4-2006 8:05 AM

Debating is always interesting. And anyway, he didn't say exactly that.

He said he would accept only polls acknowledging known situations (even when he disagrees), and not one that would imply a change in opinion. That's silly too.

3-4-2006 9:53 AM

It's pretty clear to me that to Godfrey, his opinions = "knowns"

3-4-2006 12:54 PM

Good grief. I didn't say any of these things. By point about polls is that they shouldn't be taken as definitive evidence of anything, whether one agrees with the outcome or not. I can remeber seeing poll results that I would have been happy to have taken as fact that just didn't seem right, nonetheless, and were, in fact, not accurate intell. That's right, intell. Very similar. Both are inherently imperfect. The results are looked at as part of the total situation evaluation and assessment process, which includes among other things, "knowns"

These knowns are not anyone's opinion. Some examples of a knowns relative to this topic might be, bodybomb terrorism, hatred of jews taught to chil...

3-4-2006 1:36 PM