News Why Do Many Americans Still Believe in WMDs in Iraq?

[Mech_Engineer]

It has been suggested by several that polls are not accurate enough to rely on for information. But let's face it, we depend on polls to gather information about every thing that involves the public and how they feel. For instance even marketing companies use polls extensively. Obviously polls are not always totally accurate, but they are seldom totally wrong.

I would argue that polls seen in the media about "public opinions" are ALWAYS wrong. The fact is that there are way too many variables left unchecked when any of these polls are taken. Variables such as:

Day of the week
Time of day
Questions asked
Specific wording and context
Specific demographics sectioned
Who asked the questions and how they identified themselves
Voice characteristics of the questioner(s)
.
.
.

The list can obviously go on and on. The fact that marketing companies use polls is not a very good argument for polls in the media either, the intended use of the polls and the way they are presented and carried out are totally different.

The fact is that any poll from a previous time can't legitimately be compared to any other poll, unless it is carried out in the EXACT same manner on the EXACT SAME people, other wise we are just trying to compare two completely different measurments of different things.

 

[kyleb]

Which is precisely why it's difficult if not impossible to reasonably fathom the Administration's critics absolute incredulity.

I am not the one disagreeing with the Administration here, I am the one repeating what Rumsfeld said a just few months ago.

 

[edward]

I would argue that polls seen in the media about "public opinions" are ALWAYS wrong. The fact is that there are way too many variables left unchecked when any of these polls are taken.

If that were true no one would be in the "public opinion" poll taking business. And if this poll was wrong, how wrong was it? It isn't a black or white issue. Bush's approval rating is done with polls. He always claims that polls aren't accurate. But then Karl Rove jumps in and starts the spin and the PR tours.

There are a lot of tacky poll takers out there, but I have always found Harris and the Assiocated press polls to be reasonably accurate.
Perhaps we should take a poll on the validity of polls

 

[pcorbett]

I am not the one disagreeing with the Administration here, I am the one repeating what Rumsfeld said a just few months ago.

And assigning a degree of precision to his remarks without justification.

 

[edward]

Bombs found at military housing construction site
Associated Press

Two bombs thought to be from the World War II or Korean War eras were found earlier this week at a housing construction site at Fort Wainwright. Army officials Friday said the bombs were found Monday at the Taku Gardens construction site.
Officials say work on the 128 family units has been stopped until the bombs are disposed of. They say the bombs don't pose a danger to areas beyond the 60-acre construction site. The Army says the devices hold an undetermined liquid.

http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_4147516

I still find it amazing that old ordinance found in iraq is a surprize to anyone. It is obviously desperation on the part of some to justify major intelligence failures which led us into an unnecessary war.

Why others believe is purely politics. Can you say Santorum?

Chapter one is all you need to read about intel failures regarding Iraq.
http://www.wmd.gov/report/index.html

 

[kyleb]

And assigning a degree of precision to his remarks without justification.

Rumsfeld assigned the degree of precision, I'm just not denying it.

 

[pcorbett]

Rumsfeld assigned the degree of precision, I'm just not denying it.

Where did he specify the precision of that statement?

 

[kyleb]

With the "not" right after the "were".

 

[pcorbett]

With the "not" right after the "were".

And how does that specify precision? At this point, you're free to throw your hands up in a gesture of frustrated incredulity. But before you do, ask yourself why Rumsfeld felt the need to prepend "it appears" to that specific remark.

 

[kyleb]

I've got a question for you. In the past people have speculated that the Mars was populated by little green men. Given the response "It appears that there were not little green men there"; how many little green would you say there was on Mars?

 

[pcorbett]

I've got a question for you. In the past people have speculated that the Mars was populated by little green men. Given the response "It appears that there were not little green men there"; how many little green would you say there was on Mars?

Depends. Was Mars incubating these little green men proliferating in defiance of an international non-proliferation treaty? Did we discover just shortly before a war to end Martian aggression against Phobos? Did Mars defy Security Council resolutions to verifiably disarm after getting its ass kicked? Did the intelligence agencies of nearly every Western country with an interest in Mars' compliance or non-compliance with cease-fire obligations judge that these little green men existed? Has a survey group determined the evidence for and against a transfer of these little green men to Europa is inconclusive?

 

[kyleb]

Heh, no, people had other reasons for suspecting little green men on mars. Regardless, given the evidence to date, it appears that there were not little green men there.

 

[pcorbett]

Heh, no, people had other reasons for suspecting little green men on mars. Regardless, given the evidence to date, it appears that there were not little green men there.

How can you say that when researchers have only exploited an infinitessimally small fraction of the Martian surface? And when Mars occults its moons from Earth's perspective, who's to say what's getting boosted up the pipe? Here're the facts:

1. We know there were little green men in the past.
2. We know that Mars did not comply with the verification procedure laid out in the dis-green-ament resolutions.
3. We have documentary evidence that at the very minimum Mars intended to reconstitute its little green men capability as soon as sanctions were lifted.

Now why not err on the side of caution and presume that unaccounted weapons are still out there?

 

[kyleb]

That isn't caution, that is how we got sidetracked away from doing a good job in Afghanistan.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Heh, no, people had other reasons for suspecting little green men on mars. Regardless, given the evidence to date, it appears that there were not little green men there.

Q: What's the difference between Saddam's WMDs and flying saucers?

A: I can show you pictures of flying saucers.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

I think this should be moved to Skepticism and Debunking

 

[Astronuc]

Q: What's the difference between Saddam's WMDs and flying saucers?

A: I can show you pictures of flying saucers.

Yeah, but can you distinguish Martian flying saucers from those coming from elsewhere?

 

[edward]

Yeah, but can you distinguish Martian flying saucers from those coming from elsewhere?

Yet the really odd thing is that, according to the Harris Poll, people actually believed that WMD had at last been found.