RANT & CHAT - Politics Allowed

[SoxFan]

Here is a link stating an AP Poll:

http://www.american-reporter.com/2122/46.html

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- More than half of all Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. According to an Associated Press poll conducted shortly after the conclusion of the successful invasion of Iraq, 53 percent of the nation pin the 9/11 murders on Saddam, something the CIA and most of the world's intelligence-gathering organizations have consistently discounted.

The fact that so many Americans believe this reveals the successful drum beating of the Bush administration along with a failure of both Congress and the media to adequately question the President's motives or to challenge the statements coming from the White House and Pentagon. President Bush and his horde of advisors have constantly said they never - ever - said that Saddam was the person behind the attacks. But, if the President could say "subliminal," that's what he, the vice-president, and their administration did to the Americans, with the complicity of the media who abrogated their responsibilities and made it seem that challenging anything the President said would be treason.

Here is another sad one:

http://www.punditman.com/

According to a poll by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, (PIPA), 68% of respondents continue to support Bush's decision to attack and occupy Iraq. Fifty-three percent said, "I support having gone to war, because I think it was the best thing for the US to do," while another 15% said, "I am not sure if going to war was the best thing to do, but I support Bush's decision, because he is the president."

But closer examination reveals a mass ignorance factor which may help explain the continued high approval rating. 41 % of Americans either think the U.S. has found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (34 %) or are unsure (7 %). The percentage rises among the 53% who approved of military action, with 48% saying the US has found weapons of mass destruction and 4% saying they didn't know.

Steven Kull, director of PIPA at the University of Maryland sums up this peculiar disconnect from reality that many Americans seem to suffer from:

"For some Americans, their desire to support the war may be leading them to screen out information that weapons of mass destruction have not been found. Given the intensive news coverage and high levels of public attention to the topic, this level of misinformation suggests that some Americans may be avoiding having an experience of cognitive dissonance."

On to the truly bizarre: 22% of Americans believe that Iraq actually used chemical or biological weapons in the war. That's right. Twenty-two percent hold this misperception, while 9% are unsure. That leaves 69% who correctly said that Iraq had not used such weapons (Phew, now I feel so much better!).

Such findings are nothing short of astounding considering the breadth and volume of information available these days, the growth of the Internet, etc.