Public ignores Iraq war naysayers

Polls are almost as pervasive as opinions – the old Naval expression about that is that opinions are as ubiquitous as…rectal orifaces: everybody has one. Nonetheless, when a liberalish polling organization detects signs of support for the Iraq efforts, etc., it’s worth noting, since there is something there that even they can’t massage and spin away into insignificance.

Negative press coverage of the war in Iraq in recent weeks has emphasized rising pessimism among the American public about the conflict. But a new survey found that 56 percent of the public thinks that efforts to establish a stable democracy in the country will succeed.

Another aspect of interest in this set of data is a serious disconnect between the PLM (Politico-Legal-Media) complex, and the people that they are supposedly representing:

The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press — which also plumbed opinions of journalists, university presidents and others in academe, diplomats, government officials, religious leaders, members of the military, scientists and international security specialists — revealed a marked disconnect between the perceptions of the general public and many of the so-called opinion leaders.

THis is nothing new – all anyone has to do is watch/read the MSM with a rational point of view and there is no excuse to be surprised.

When asked whether they thought democracy would succeed in Iraq, only 33 percent of the journalists agreed that it had a chance. The number was even worse in academe — 27 percent of respondents thought the effort would succeed. Among the military, however, the number stood at 64 percent. “The media and academia have always been more to the left, so how they report these things is not necessarily the way the country sees things,” said Charles Gravely, 56, a real estate executive from the District.

Shocking, simply shocking!

The final point of interest here is the release of this data, which arguably gives support to the admininistration and the current policies. It can even be reported, but with the Thanksgiving holiday, it’ll easily get lost in the static. (Phew! That way the Pew organization can duck any positive impact for the President. How opportune!)