http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,142718,00.htmlWhat to Make of a Poll?
Ward Carroll | July 18, 2007
A recent Military.com poll posed this question: "When should American troops withdraw from Iraq?" The response from readers was noteworthy. Forty two percent of the 5,440 respondents chose the answer worded "Now. We're wasting lives and resources" and another 17 percent chose "The end of 2008. That's plenty of time." Added together, the results show 59 percent of those who responded were either for an immediate withdrawal or precipitous pullout within the next year or so.
While this poll was technically "unscientific" in terms of how the data was gathered (Military.com membership was not required), when compared to similar polls conducted in previous months the results were a surprise to us here in Military.com's offices. The great majority of our readers have consistently demonstrated support for the war. As recently as late June, 57 percent of poll respondents voted "yes" to the question "Should Congress Give More Time for the Surge to Work?"
Is this poll an accurate accounting of the will of a credible segment of American society - servicemembers, veterans, families, and those with military affinity - or simply another example of how the public's attitude toward an issue can be co-opted by how the media chooses to cover it?
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I'm just asking because the poll I'm referring to here wasn't conducted by CNN or ABC or The New York Times but by Military.com. We know who our audience is. Military.com regulars are pro-military, to put it mildly. The military experience isn't some vague concept to them. They served or are serving, along with their families.
Therefore I have trouble believing that Military.com readers can be manipulated solely by the MSM's one-sided coverage (if it's true that the coverage is one-sided). Take a look at any of our discussion pages. Do these folks seem to waiver in their convictions? As a recent SECDEF might have put it: "Goodness, no."
So if it's not the MSM, to what do we attribute this poll's results? (And please, loyal readers and cherished friends, don't tell me we're going to lose this thing . . .):eyes: