Poll shows troops in support of war

[okieinpain]

http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Poll+shows+troops+in+support+of+war&expire=&urlID=12696317&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Firaq%2F2004-12-26-poll_x.htm%3Fcsp%3D34&partnerID=1660


see we don't have to feel sorry for the troops. they enjoy killing in iraq.

[Sean Reynolds]

1. Question though.....

How many felt they HAD to say they approved of the war?

I mean I could go around and hold a gun to 50 women demanding they say I'm sexy. Doesn't mean I am tho.

[autorank]

41. BULL SHIT POLL! DOES NOT REFLECT TOTAL POPULATION

Once again, they recycle trash polling. We don't need TruthIsAll to comment on this. It is a poll of subscribers to the service papers/magazines. These ARE OFFICERS primarily. They better damn well support this sucker at about 95% (which they don't). What about an actual poll of the total population of soldiers in Iraq (all, not just those subscribing to service mags)?

BTW, what was the soldier vote total out of Iraq?

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cocoa]

83. I agree, bullshit poll

[rsmith6621]

2. They are feed KOOLAIDE often.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bouncy Ball]

23. I've hit alert on this post

and I suggest others do, too.

[umtalal]

33. I also hit the alert on this post.

[umtalal]

34. BTW Harrison Ford is a Democrat.

[daleo]

44. I too have contributed to the alert on this fellow

Ask not for whom the bell tolls...

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bouncy Ball]

3. From the article:

The findings are part of the annual Military Times Poll, which this year included 1,423 active-duty subscribers to Air Force Times, Army Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.

Most of those 1423 subscribers are officers and most are highly likely to be bush supporters THUS the results.

Let them take a poll of, say, 7,000 grunts on the front line and see what the results come out to be.

My brother in law is there now, is totally against this war and against bush and says he's hard pressed to find another NCO or enlisted man who isn't.

[imenja]

4. if you're risking your life everyday....

you need to believe it's for a just cause. How else can they come to terms with the death they see all around them. I understand it actually. I wonder how troops who have already returned home respond to those same questions?

[Bouncy Ball]

11. That's another factor, of course.

It is very much a mental thing. You not only do what you have to do to survive, but you believe what you have to believe in order to survive.

[jayfish]

85. M-O-N-E-Y.

Sorry to say it but, I heard it from my sister (no blood relation). Her husband just shipped out for convoy duty.

Jay

[BrklynLiberal]

7. That is a VERY skewed sample!!! Does it say how many of them are

actually in Iraq????

They were polled by mail, so you can be pretty sure they were not even in Iraq. The last thing those guys have on their minds is filling out stupid magazine mail polls.
Just another example of the MSM misleading the public.

[Bouncy Ball]

18. They were most likely senior officers

who ARE in Iraq but are in the rear. Thus they have the luxury of being able to receive subscriptions to publications and fill out surveys. They also overwhelmingly identify as republican. I posted this below, but these same publications did the same survey in 2003 and they were more forthright and admitted that up to 80% of the responders were officers and that about the same number of them self-identified as republicans.

I'm telling you, let someone go out and do a person to person poll of about 7,000 enlisted and NCOs out in the field on the front lines and ask the same questions. You'd get a VERY different response, I guarantee it.

[sandnsea]

26. Career military

"subscribers to Air Force Times, Army Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times."

I kind of doubt the NG week-end warrior or one-tour enlisted men are subscribers. Completely BS poll, IMHO.

[imenja]

10. interesting

The officer/ enlisted person distinction makes sense. What's your source for the information that most responders were officers?

[Bouncy Ball]

14. Knowing the military

and knowing that most (as in 80%) of the subscribers to those publications are officers. You'd have a hard time finding some enlisted men who subscribe. They don't necessarily have anything against those publications, but they are geared more toward the officer and are thought of more as an "officer thing" to do (subscribing). In all the years my husband was an enlisted man then an NCO in the Army I never came across one non-officer who subscribed to one. But the officers? Many of them did.

[BrklynLiberal]

20. And can you just picture some guy in Iraq sitting down and filling out one

of the questionnairees and mailing it back? I don't think so.
These were all filled out in someone's comfortable den, while smoking a cigar and drinking scotch.

[Stand and Fight]

57. Got out in February of this year.

Bouncy Ball, I'm a former NCO myself and you are absolutely correct. Officers, card-caring Republicans at that, tend to subscribe to this magazine. Also, just so everyone knows -- this poll was not taken by mail -- it was taken online. You know what that means boys and girls? That means that the majority of those who took it were obviously NOT hunkered down in a frickin foxhole or in a convoy! Follow that line of thought to its thoroughly logical conclusion. This poll is total bullshit, and imenja your assertion about having to believe in the war you're fighting is complete bunk. I'll tell you what keeps you alive over there -- your buddies, your family back in the world, your training... Believing in the god damn war? Yeah, right. Get real!

[Bouncy Ball]

59. You smack of authenticity

My husband was an NCO and was in Desert Storm with the 1st Cav. He was a grunt and back then they didn't even have email accounts for the soldiers, not that he would have been able to email except maybe once or twice in six months.

It's true--those guys on the front line don't have the time, luxury or access to polls or surveys like this.

Some do feel they need to emotionally invest in what they are doing in order to survive, I've talked to quite a few who said that about Desert Storm. But once they were home, they had the time and were able to drop that facade and explore how they really felt about it.

But yeah, some just focus on doing what they have to do to stay alive and get home. We were just engaged at the time, but my husband told me he thought about me constantly and just mentally focused on doing what he had to do to get back to me and that's what got him through.

And Desert Storm really wasn't like this. No offense to any Desert Storm veterans but this thing is going on far longer and seems like much more of a mess.

[TahitiNut]

71. Hear, hear. You got that right.

As a Vietnam vet myself, I thank you for your service. "Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do or die." This holds true in every military - the only thing that consumes a grunt's attention is the immediate task at hand: survival.

[0007]

77. Thanks for the honesty. Meet a Marine in Houston a few months

ago that was back from Iraq to bury his father. He told me no in his outfit had any repect for junior and no one thought that the U.S. should be in Iraq.

[flygal]

63. My brother's a captain

and he says there is very little support for *.

[TahitiNut]

69. The majority of subscribers are retired military.

:shrug: It's like "scuttlebutt" for those who don't have their ears near the scuttles anymore. A large number of subscribers are employees of military contractors, too. I really never had the impression that any of the papers were widely read in the active military, except maybe at the HQ/Pentagon level by officers - particularly those involved with outside contractors in some capacity.

[Bouncy Ball]

92. EGG-ZACTLY.

I swear all the time I was an Army wife the ONLY time I even saw a copy of the Army Times was on the desk of a high ranking officer I was taken to meet when my husband was getting some kind of award (bad Bouncy Ball, I don't even know what the fruit salad was that he was getting now).

[Skittles]

5. denial

very difficult to admit you're in a hell-hole for no good reason

[Clarkie1]

6. I find what this poster says about our troops offensive - moderator please

consider removing this thread.

To imply all our soldiers in Iraq "enjoy killing" is very disrepectful and out of line.

[Clarkie1]

9. and I'm not as easily offended as some here

[imenja]

13. I agree that the comment is thoughtless

It reflects very little thought and no effort to understand what it must be like to be in the position in which the troops find themselves.

[okieinpain]

19. well that's not what the article says. it says that they like being in

iraq and enjoy the job. and killing is what the army does. mods you can lock if you like, but it's still a fact of the article.

"In addition, 87%% say they're satisfied with their jobs and, if given the choice today, only 25% say they'd leave the service."

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Could not find the part where they say they like being in Iraq

[okieinpain]

24. right here

"In addition, 87%% say they're satisfied with their jobs and, if given the choice today, only 25% say they'd leave the service."

[BrklynLiberal]

25. That says they like their jobs..not that they like being in Iraq.

[okieinpain]

28. article title is "Poll shows troops in support of war"

In addition, 87%% say they're satisfied with their jobs and, if given the choice today, only 25% say they'd leave the service.

the war is in iraq, job of the army is to destroy the enemy, ie., killing other man/women. I'm being sarcastic, but the truth of the matter is the sheeple are being told don't worry, the troops are enjoying their vacation. sorry if you don't like the message.

[sandnsea]

27. Critical thinking skills required

You are obviously looking for justification for your own views. Otherwise, you would see that this was a poll from subscribers to military magazines who are highly unlikely to be average troops on the ground. So your conclusion is completely baseless, prejudiced, and cruel.

[okieinpain]

30. man, look at the title of the article. it doesn't say dipshits at home

in their underwear support the war. it's says troops support the war. damn I was just having some fun, but you freakin guy's are always looking for a freakin fight damn. read the freakin article. shit.

[Bouncy Ball]

32. I read the freaking article

and I know how those publications run their surveys and I KNOW who subscribes to those publications. They are OVERWHELMINGLY officers in the rear who overwhelmingly self-identify as repukes.

So it's no fucking wonder that tiny sample said they support the war. But I'd bet my left fucking arm that if you asked those same questions of front line grunts you'd get a VERY different picture from most of them.

[okieinpain]

35. well sir, that's not what's being told to the sheeple. see what I'm

saying.

[Bouncy Ball]

36. I can't help

their shitty methods. But I can reveal them for what they are, which is what I am doing here.

[sandnsea]

38. lol, I read the article, NOT just the title

Damn, practice what you preach, read the freakin article. shit. And if YOU weren't looking for a freakin fight, why'd you add your little troop murdering rant? It's NOT FUNNY.

[okieinpain]

39. yes it is.

[sandnsea]

47. Yeah, troops enjoying killing

Gets my neighbors rolling in the streets every time I tell that joke. Where's that STFU graphic when I need it. :eyes:

[okieinpain]

53. I'm trying to look up some of those old articles on statements from

the troops about killing folks. some of them are pretty supportive of killing folks. sorry but that's what the armed services does, they kill people. I'm not anti-military, I'm not anti-usa, I'm just stating what the article says.

[sandnsea]

58. The article, or the title?

Just stating facts, or having fun?

Hope you're enjoying your dancing at least..

[tabasco]

8. Go to hell.

I'm a soldier and I damn sure don't approve of this war.

[okieinpain]

37. well you better recheck that buddy. because the article says

you do. and by the way thanks for your service, I really mean that.

[autorank]

40. I'm with you tobasco. This poll is bullshit!

It's subscribers to these magazines, probably officers mostly.

Thanks for your service!!!!

Did they ever announce the election results for the troops in Iraq?

(I'm with you too okieinpain!) I'm with everybody, yeah!

[Deja Q]

75. Everybody needs somebody to hate it seems.

Liberals hate the troops who wantonly want this war (though playing Quake III or Grand Theft Auto wouldn't be so terminal).

Troops hate the 'insurgents', who dare defy the occupation.

Republicans hate anybody that doesn't agree with *, even their own (LOL).

Hate hate hate.

Humanity is getting what it deserves, it seems. Nobody wants to evolve out of their preconditioned state and THINK.

[Dead_Parrot]

12. Except those poor buggers...

...with a leg blown off. If they're lucky.

[Bouncy Ball]

15. This is a really tiny sample

most likely made up of mostly officers (by the way, the same publications do the same survey every year and in 2003, they admitted that most of their respondents were officers and self-identified as republicans, I noticed this year they didn't include that information!).

So you can't base your statement on this information. My brother in law is a Democrat, he is north of Baghdad now, HATES being there and is totally against this war and voted for Kerry.

And he most certainly does NOT enjoy killing anyone.

[sonicx]

16. Makes sense. They are fighing in it after all...

I still feel sorry for them.

[shance]

21. Well, OF COURSE a war-complicit media is going to say that!!

What, you think you were going to get the truth from them?

[roguevalley]

29. The troops at home with access to USAToday. I think the vote

would be different over there with the guys doing this. Read stars and stripes. The gungho letters are the dorks in germany or korea.

[Greybnk48]

31. propaganda

Well we have someone over there who is an officer and has expressed to me his feelings quite clearly in a journal that he is keeping. In a nutshell (and therefore not nearly as eloquently as he has expressed it) he and most of his colleagues believe this is an unnecessary and unjust war perpetrated by paper tigers. He thinks Bush is a fool and a buffoon as are the rest of his crew. He was a strong supporter of Clarke and later Kerry. He said most of his group voted for Kerry in hopes of an early pull-out from Iraq (they are in Iraq right now and are bitterly dissappointed).

[Sleepless In NY]

42. okieinpain.. strange coming from you

you're a resident of Oklahoma, a place where 66% voted for bush http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/OK/P/00/. So are we to "assume" all residents are bush supporters? Give me a break. No where in the article was there any mention of anyone enjoying killing. Thats an "assumption" you threw in. I dont know, seems to me your post plays right into a freepers "assumption" that all liberals hate the military. We don't. I know alot of military who aren't happy with the war or bush. But it seems their voices aren't heard or payed much attention to. Knowing them and their views, something about this article just doesn't fit. I wish someone would lock this thread, it just sounds mean & spiteful.

[autorank]

46. Great username. Welcome to DU!!! It's not as mean as it could be!

I remember Viet Nam, lots of hostility and condescension from parts of the anti war movement toward the troops. This was THE main error of that movement. It was really stupid and I hold Abbie Hoffman, etc. totally responsible for this error. It actually kept the war going, I believe, because the larger public had a rough time climbing on board with a bunch of folks who (a) alienated the general public by pissing all over their values and (b) alienated everybody by smearing the troops. If was a draft after all.

This thread is tame compared to that. The troops go where they are told. They have their opinions, which I think were eloquently expressed by the question to Rumsfield (which was NOT written by a reporter), and they will express them vigorously when they get home.

Peace out to everyone.

[okieinpain]

51. it is mean and spiteful. are you kidding, this article is in a main

stream newspaper, one that is avaliable nation wide. I don't hate the newspaper, I'm just giving my opinion on what the article says. it says that the troops support the war. it's says that those who are currently there support the president, and think it a war worth FIGHTING. fighting means killing people, when they shoot up a family at one of their road blocks by accident, they always state that they are sorry, but it's a war.

and yes, living in oklahoma with a majority of 66% supporting the president. means we all support him, the states that bush wins are colored red, not purple. remember the media says that bush has a mandiate with a 3% margin of victory. don't hate me for delivering the news.

[goforit]

90. LOL! Lock the thread........Yep, most people choose not to see truth

Back to Disneyland. Feels better, eh?

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bouncy Ball]

45. Pay no attention to harrisonford

he is a disruptor posting this all over LBN. Hit alert and do an advanced search on the user name.

[Skittles]

56. what a sad f****

freaking pathetic

[daleo]

50. Turn these numbers around, and see how it reads

Inverse
"Thirty-seven percent of respondents disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the war, and 40% are convinced the war is not worth fighting. Support for the war is even falling among those who have served longest in the combat zone: One-third of combat vets say the war is not worth fighting.
In addition, ... if given the choice today, fully 25% say they'd leave the service."

Original:
"Sixty-three percent of respondents approve of the way President Bush is handling the war, and 60% remain convinced it is a war worth fighting. Support for the war is even greater among those who have served longest in the combat zone: Two-thirds of combat vets say the war is worth fighting."
"In addition, ... if given the choice today, only 25% say they'd leave the service.

[okieinpain]

52. yeah, but that's not the title.

[daleo]

55. I agree with you, that the article was spinning for the war

That is why I was pointing out that it could have just as easily been spun the other way. I think it should worry the Bush administration and the pro-war crowd that 40% of this group (which is mostly officers according to most posters) does not feel that the war is worth fighting. This sounds a lot more like Viet Nam than World War II.

[okieinpain]

60. they probably are worried. and if any of them start to get a voice

I'm pretty sure that child pornography will be found on their computer. or some picture will surface of them in london meeting with some communist officer.

[WebeBlue]

54. Talk to Paul Reickhoff for a realistic ground truth

There was another such poll shortly before the election which inaccurately reflected the feelings, morale or even vote choices of the ground troops. It was a poll primarily responded to by military officers and from a different military time. It was not a poll of the ground troops in Iraq.

We are a speaking out military family with 2 deployed, Iraq, extended tours and scheduled to deploy for second tours in Iraq, and NO they can't get out, and they damn sure don't "enjoy killing". Paint it whatever color you want using whatever poll or other bit of nonsense you might want to post, but real families (like ours) deal with daily realities of young loved ones trapped and stuck in B***'s Iraq war (keep the focus where it belongs with B*** and not the troops).

A more realistic view (not what msm reports):

Military Families Speak Out http://www.mfso.org /

newly formed UK Military Families Agains the War www.mfaw.org.uk
the KIA Scottish Black Watch soldiers galvanized military families in UK to model their own version of Military Families Speak Out modelled on our MFSO here in America.

LEARN MORE

Hear the truth about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the perspective of the soldiers who have experienced them first-hand: Operation Truth
http://optruth.com/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticCo...

Connect with a group of vets who are speaking out against the war and calling for the troops to come home: Iraq Veterans Against the War
http://www.ivaw.net /

Read testimony from people who are opposed to war in Iraq and who have relatives or loved ones in the military: Military Families Speak Out http://www.mfso.org /

Get the facts about your rights in case of a draft and learn what options you have if you've already enlisted: Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
http://www.objector.org /


see aired interview on Newshour with Jim Lehrer, Homefront Battles . I am among one of the families speaking out in this segment
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/ju...ttle_10-04.html

see newspaper article, Seattle Times , meeting with the military moms/wives on tour for Kerry; I am among one of several MFSO families meeting with the Moms on Tour for Kerry families http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/loca...arymoms18e.html



Paul Reichkoff of Operation Truth is an Iraq Veteran and has been a powerful voice in speaking out on behalf of the troops



Brooke Campbell, sister to Sgt Ryan Campbell, KIA in Iraq with his last email message: "Don't vote for Bush, just don't do it, I won't be happy with you"
http://www.brookesstory.com/windowsmedia.htm


Veterans for Peace has a public voice against the war in Iraq.


Vietnam Veterans Against the War gives a public voice to being against the war in Iraq.
http://www.vvawai.org/


See also Link TV Programming where some very powerful videos are telling a truth not seen as much in MSM.
http://www.linktv.org/programming/index.php3

1)Strong at the Broken Places

http://strongatthebrokenplaces.com/

Strong at the Broken Places focuses on the human cost of the war in Iraq as expressed in the words and faces of the soldiers themselves and their families. Max Cleland , a decorated, triple amputee from Vietnam who has made the cause of veterans his mission, brings each story to life. The result is both poignant and powerful. As with Cleland's own journey from Vietnam to Iraq, the stories of the soldiers and their families show that suffering in war can transform its victims into advocates for justice and healing - and even for the hijacked truth about 9/11. In its first test screenings, Strong at the Broken Places is not only awakening the consciousness of individual Americans, but starting to galvanize a national debate about, what Cleland calls, the "ground truth" of war itself.

Max Cleland is the former director of the Veterans Administration and United States Senator from Georgia. He served as Captain in the First Cavalry in Vietnam.

"The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places."
Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms





2) Honor Betrayed

An investigation into the pressures put on the American military by the Iraq War, an insufficient Pentagon budget, and the looming issue of a draft. The film weaves together commentary by several of America's most respected military experts with real life personal narratives from the veterans, widows, and members of the military communities that are most directly affected by the Bush Administration’s current foreign policy. "Honor Betrayed" challenges the widely held view that conservatives are better stewards of our national security than liberals.

For more information about this issue, click here.

For more information, or to order a DVD of the program, visit these websites:

American Family Voices
Veterans for Common Sense

[still_one]

61. all I know is this

the first term of * they didn't know, but now most of them ended up voting for the bastard, so there is no excuse

[imenja]

62. do we know how they voted?

Have you seen any national or state wide accounts for military votes? I have only seen a couple of reports, indicating a majority of military ballots went to Kerry in Broward County, Florida and Austin, Texas. Have you seen other numbers? The Stars and Stripes poll predicted a win for Bush before the election, but do we know if this corresponded with actual votes submitted?

[muchacho]

64. makes sense

I think any people in harms way and focused on a mission will answer that the mission is meaningful and not a folly of imperialism.

It's human nature to believe in what you do and believe it matters.

[jukes]

65. we have 2 trolls

in this thread purposely misunderstanding & distorting this thread.

they're as sick as the lying bastards @ usatoday that made up this bullshit poll.

okieinpain, i'm a viet nam veteran, 1st cav, infantry. *I* noted the sarcastic humor of your orig post & was *NOT* offended.

o/c, most of those guys don't like killing & are piss-scared over there. *THAT" was the point of your comment, & the people deliberately misreading it need to go post on "stormfront.com", where their crap will be appreciated.

better yet, they shd enlist, go serve in iraq, & support the jagoff they voted for.

[saigon68]

66. I agree there are Trolls here

More lately than ever before.

[okieinpain]

81. thank you. what I'm pointing out is the title of the article. I heard this

argument used during the 04 election. the repugs are always using the theme of the troops like bush. they used just the opposite against clinton, gore, and kerry, (which two of the three actually set foot in vietnam), to tell the sheeple that the dems would be a bad choice.

I'm sorry for the post upsetting so many, but my comments is what the sheeple are being told.

[xchrom]

67. whether this reflects a cross section or not

i expect people in the armed services to support the action they are involved in.
and am always pleasantly surprised that any think for themselves and come to different conclusions.
it takes a great deal of time for the rightness or more to the point the wrongness of an armed military conflict to get into the conscience of those doing the heavy lifting.
i reserve the right to have my own, and i hope because of where i'm sitting, a better and more informed opinion so i can help keep our soldiers from the foolish behavior of a powerful few.

[mutius]

68. Ask a soldier in private

every vet from Iraq has disapproved the war except one. when I asked the question? they're afraid, just like most of us, being anti-American.

[KingChicken]

70. Odd poll results.... Troop shortage is being felt big time....

Maybe these numbers are accurate however I find it hard to believe that less troops think there is a troop shortage this year. It's only since this year that all these aggressive policies have been put in place to keep troops because of a desperate shortage that is predicted to grow.

In Iraq the troop shortage is painfully obvious, when you look how volatile the troops levels are in mosul and other violent regions you will see that troops are being moved around quickly to cover ongoing events. The commanders are moving personnel around Iraq at an unprecedented rate, they simply need to have more troops in more places all at once.

[LynnTheDem]

72. Anti-Bush U.S. troops in Iraq -USA Today & Military Times

50-60% of Army Times subscribers are OFFICERS, who are 8-1 republican and make up ONLY 15% of the total military.

And only 60% polled say they approve of bush-god's war of aggression? So only officers, @ 50%, with a handful of enlisted troops, @ 10%, approve??? ONLY 10% OF ENLISTED SOLDIERS, who make up 85% of the US military, APPROVE??? That's not very good news for bush, regardless how USA Today tries to spin it

A Military Times survey last December of 933 subscribers, about 30% of whom had deployed for the Iraq war, found that 56% considered themselves Republican — about the same percentage who approved of Bush's handling of Iraq. Half of those responding were officers, who as a group tend to be more conservative than their enlisted counterparts.

Among officers, who represent roughly 15% of today's 1.4 million active duty military personnel, there are about eight Republicans for every Democrat, according to a 1999 survey by Duke University political scientist Peter Feaver.

Enlisted personnel, however — a disproportionate number of whom are minorities, a population that tends to lean Democratic — are more evenly split. Professor Feaver estimates that about one third of enlisted troops are Republicans, one third Democrats, and the rest independents, with the latter group growing.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-20-troops-csm_x.htm

[Bridget Burke]

73. We don't have to like Oklahoma, either....

The state went for Bush--so they all love him.

[okieinpain]

80. yep

[Deja Q]

74. Well, that means USA Today may be a cinder tomorrow.

This is more fodder for the civilized world to use against the US. As if they don't have enough that they haven't surreptitiously acted on already.

:cry:

[LynnTheDem]

76. MAJORITY of US Military DISAPPROVE.

US Military:

15% = officers; 90% R

85% = enlisted; 33% R

So out of 1423 troops polled, a representative polling would be 213 officers (15%) and 1210 enlisted troops (85%)polled.

Instead, there were 711 officers polled, of whom 90% are republicans.

They've given a 15% group a 50% weight.

In other words, do a representative polling, and the majority of the US Military DISAPPROVE of bush's war.

IF the Army Times did a REPRESENTATIVE POLL, officers to enlisted:

1423 polled:

213 officers @ 90% Republican = 192 approve
1210 enlisted @ 33% Republican = 399 approve

192 + 399 = 591 approve, 832 disapprove

591 of 1423 = 42% approve
832 of 1423 = 58% disapprove

Which is along the same lines as the US public; 57% disapprove.

[Catchawave]

78. Doesn't USA Today support the Bushies?

So it doesn't surprise me to see such an article in their paper.

I've been living with and around the military all my life and have always noticed "career" military LOVE war for the medals and promotion opportunities. Those who just put their time in and get out are most likely to be against war. And yes, those who would be subscribers to such military rags, would most likely be on the career path.

[LynnTheDem]

79. Army Times badly skewed their poll

The Army Times took 711 Officers and 711 enlisteds and got 60% approval;

Out of 1423 asked, 854 approved (60%)

711 officers @90% (R) = 640 approve out of 711 polled;

Officers =90% approve, 10% disapprove

712 enlisted @33% (R) = 214 approve (total of 854 approve, minus the 640 officers) out of 712 polled; 30% approve

Enlisted =30% approve, 70% disapprove.

[Barkley]

86. Great Stats Analysis: Are the casualties 70% enlisted, 30% officers?

USA Today knows how to take a random sample.

They also know that many Americans who disapprove will begin to question their beliefs or/ change to approve.

Great Post Lynn

Thanks

:kick:

[LynnTheDem]

88. Casualties are 90% enlisted, 10% officers

And take the Times internals further; the poll says 25% of the 1423 respondents want to LEAVE the military.

OFFICERS can just RESIGN; enlisteds can't.

So the 25% is very likely ONLY enlisted troops. Taking out the officers and based ONLY on the ENLISTED troops, that 25% becomes 50%.

Extrapolate that figure over the entire military;

Total US military; 1,410,000 troops

Officers = 210,000

Enlisted - 1,200,000 ...and HALF want to LEAVE

And THAT is why there's been 3 major admin officials visiting Iraq in the past few days, why bushCartel & US military officials keep mention the DRAFT, and why Rumsfailed has his own Pentagon Propaganda Channel.

[tsuki]

82. Since the exit polls in the US were wrong, but they were correct every

where else in the world, I reject all American Polling Companies and their data. They either use corrupt data, or they are too lazy to do the polling correctly.

[gizmo1979]

84. yeah right

I don't believe that for a second.Nobody likes having a target painted on his back,not to mention having tour extended and extended again.who did they ask,only soldiers over the rank of Lt.

[SmokingJacket]

87. It's more complicated.

They're risking their lives. Their friends have been killed. How easy is it to say, "This is all for nothing?"

Simple psychological survival.

Plus, many of them wouldn't be there if they didn't agree with it.

The fact that ANY soldiers oppose the war is newsworthy, not that some do not.

[ckramer]

89. Being a troop nowadays means you are poor and you have no

education and you need money...and your only job opening is joining the military service...

Republicans will keep most of us poor so that they have plenty of recruits...what a shame!

[fooj]

91. MM's book shows

a whole different reality! I'm not so sure...

[despairing optimist]

93. Poll shows troops eager to extend Iraq tours indefinitely

Not.

Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. An old saying.