51% in Poll See No Link Between Iraq and Terror Fight (NYT/CBS Poll)

[sabra]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/us/22cnd-poll.html?hp&ex=1156305600&en=e930ce68aacca0b5&ei=5094&partner=homepage

51% in Poll See No Link Between Iraq and Terror Fight

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 — Americans increasingly see the war in Iraq as distinct from the fight against terrorism, and nearly half believe President Bush has focused too much on Iraq to the exclusion of other threats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The finding that 51 percent of those surveyed see no link between the war in Iraq and the broader antiterror effort was a jump of 10 percentage points since June. It came despite the regular insistence of Mr. Bush and Congressional Republicans that the two are intertwined and should be seen as complementary elements of an overall strategy to prevent domestic terror attacks.

Should the trend hold, the increased skepticism could present a political obstacle for Mr. Bush and his allies on Capitol Hill, who are making their record on terrorism a central element of the midterm election campaign. The Republicans hope the public’s desire for forceful action against terrorists will offset unease with the Iraq war and blunt the political appeal of Democratic calls to establish a timeline to withdraw American troops.

Public sentiment about the war remains negative, threatening to erode a Republican advantage on national security. Fifty-three percent of those polled said that going to war in the first place was a mistake, up from 48 percent in July; 62 percent said events were going “somewhat or very badly” in the attempt to bring order and stability to Iraq.

[Wise Doubter]

1. only 51% ?

[krispos42]

15. Exactly...

Only 51%? Well, I guess the authoritarian 29% never will get it, so actually we have 51 out of 71 possible people we can reach, which makes it a 72% victory, or a C-.

I felt like an Enron accountant just for a second there... :-)

[WCGreen]

2. Interesting....

This poll is probably a more acurate reading of the pulse of America....

Simply because the interviews were conducted over a greater period of time...

Accuracy in telephone polls calls for making calls on at least two week days and two weekends in order to catch all the people...

USA and CNN conducted their poll from Friday to Sunday while CBS conducted their poll from Thursday to Monday....

Interesting tidbit...

You can look at the Rassmussen daily poll and usually pick out the weekends by the spike upward for Bush's approval ratings....

[cboy4]

3. Well, it's un-F'ing believable that 49% still apparently think there's a

connection between Iraq and the so-called war on terror.

What are these morans drinking, besides George Bush Jesus Juice? :wtf:

[Monkeyman]

6. thier not drinking reading the gospel of Bush

[neoblues]

8. What is wrong with these people.

Mud scarecrows with pig turds for brains, think and reason more clearly. It seems they're no more than clever tv watchers--their world is defined by the media they encounter, as though they believe everything they're told. Oh, it's cleverly packaged--to require a small (very small) level of mental effort to decide which pundit has the best thinking** on a given subject, but having compared a couple of such opinions, they feel as though they've "analyzed" the issue. Duh-errh?

**yes, the purpose of the news/media is to provide not just the facts, but in fact, to pre-digest it and provide complete, prepackaged conclusions about... every last thing; heaven forbid the people should actually try thinking on their own--that could be dangerous... (rather like idiots armed with guns/bombs/etc)(hey, that pretty well describes our national leadership too; small world).

[w4rma]

14. Actually that 49% number is probably lower due to undecideds. (nt)

[iamjoy]

4. Should Be Higher

I would think it would be better for Dems if more people realized the war in Iraq had little to do with the "War on Terror"

Some of the people who see it as separate will still vote Republican, but nearly all, if not all of the people who see them as linked will vote for the crooks.

[civildisoBDence]

5. DUHbya must be praying

that another attack doesn't happen before he leaves office.

His trump card has been the War on Terra...despite the fact that he's wasted time and resources on this debacle in Iraq.

News and commentary, left to right

[wellst0nev0ter]

11. No, He'll Just Blame The Democrats

and the morans will eat it right up :grr:

[onehandle]

7. Morons. nt

[msongs]

9. where's the radio/tv ads of bush saying no connection?

radio ads are cheap.

play the bush clip over and over until no american can hide from bush saying no connection.

most people are not paying attention to the facts...or the presidunce.

Msongs
www.myspace.com/msongs

[krispos42]

16. Air America made sure the word got out...

Of coure Randi Rhodes has that older clip she played on a regular basis. But this one was on national TV and all of the hosts picked it up. Maybe it can become a cell phone ring tone or something. Air America or one of the hosts should work on that.

He he he... Mike Malloy ringtones...

The Mike Malloy Show. Because each time you isten to right-wing radio, God kills a kitten.

"Oh, that's mine! Hello?"

<edit> hit the Insert button and typed over some text accidently.

[fujiyama]

10. Not high enough

but likely the highest it's ever been...It's good to see that people are seeing them as seperate. It's an important message and Dems have to hit it home constantly...The media tries to confuse people.

[samsingh]

12. only 51% can think?

[humbled_opinion]

13. hmmm

I assume now Karl Rove will attempt to paint the Shiite insurgency as the terrorists in Iraq all the while using the Iranian connection to Al-Sadr and Hezbollah to bolster the claims.

[WePurrsevere]

17. If the (corp) MSM doesn't report it long & strong many folks won't hear it

People that actually USE the internet for more then getting email, playing games and chat rooms are probably a lot better informed then those who don't.

Although I find them interesting I tend to take most polls with a very large cow lick of salt. Even the 2 week days and 2 weekend days can tilt a poll although on the surface it would make it look more balanced (what time were the calls made?) and what type of area was is done in? How a poll leans can depend on a variety of factors which can easily be hidden or excluded for instance even in "blue" states there are pockets of red and visa versa.

[plasticsundance]

18. So 49% of Americans are complete dumbasses

All on the road to a declining empire in their SUVs.

[missTheBigDog]

19. It's amazing

What the Repugs do to put fear into these people. And worst of all, a lot of Americans are actually dumb enough to believe it.

"...What's important is that we make the right decision in November, because if not, well, we could get hit again." -Dick Cheney, September 2004

[goforit]

20. Hell, I see a link! Bush promoting terrorism, his #1 objective!!!