[lbo-talk] Poll: Americans oppose Senate criticism of war - is this nonsense?

[Gar Lipow]

On 11/28/05, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> Hmm, googling turns up their collaboration with uber-pundit Charlie
> Cook. But this doesn't seem to be one of those.
>
> To ask the question is to bias the results (assuming "morale" and
> "troops" were in the question). If you'd asked if criticism of
> presidential decisions was patriotic, you'd probably get mostly
> yes's. And the sequence of the questions would matter for the rest of
> the poll's answers.
>

Exact wording of the two questions:

"PtP1. Thinking about the war in Iraq, when Democratic Senators criticize the
President's policy on the war in Iraq, do you believe it HELPS the morale of our
troops in Iraq or HURTS the morale of our troops in Iraq? (IF HELPS/HURTS,
ASK:) And do you believe it (HURTS/HELPS) morale A LOT or just SOME?"

"PtP2. When Democrats criticize the President's policy in Iraq, do you
believe they
(ROTATE)
"Criticizing the President's policy because they believe their
criticisms will help the United States' efforts in Iraq,
OR, Criticizing the President's policy to gain a partisan political advantage?

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