Many Bush supporters disregard Iraq weapons findings

[Champ]

WASHINGTON - A large majority of President Bush's supporters continue to believe that Iraq either had weapons of mass destruction (47 percent) or a major program to develop them (25 percent), contrary to official findings, a survey taken this month found.

Three out of four Bush backers believe Saddam Hussein provided substantial support to Al-Qaida or was involved in the Sept. 11 terror attacks, while 56 percent said the Sept. 11 Commission found such ties.

In reality, the commission found ``no collaborative relationship'' between Iraq and Al-Qaida.

The survey by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes, released Thursday, shows that the supporters of Bush and Sen. John Kerry have stark differences and see ``separate realities'' about Iraq and other foreign-policy issues.

The poll, conducted by Knowledge Networks, was taken of 968 people Oct. 12-18, after the final report by Charles Duelfer concluded that Iraq did not have a significant weapons of mass destruction program. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points to four percentage points.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9985260.htm

[tlcandie]

1. You know...

there are just a lot of people who are stubborn beyond all reasoning. I ran into one the other day. Pointed out the truth to them and said, yes, I can see what you are saying, but I believe they way I do and I'm not changing my belief. LoL

People..gotta love em! Every one has to make their own choices. It's sad when it is at the expense of other living things.

[Union Thug]

4. ah, yes - faith based reasoning

I believe, despite the fact that evidence to the contrary abounds. This explains the fundie-right. Makes sense that they would carry that over to WMDs. If I believe it, it must be so.

Pathetic.

[louis-t]

24. Faith based reasoning, the new reality show

Pat Robertson as: The Pied Piper

[JuniorPlankton]

2. I know, I know

They are just unbe-fucking-lievable!

"Faith-based reality"

[sniffa]

3. but kerry's a fLip fLopper!

peopLe don't want to beLieve in facts. it's much more comforting having faith and not making decisions for yourseLf.

[displacedtexan]

5. Bush* Supporters Are Like Dirt...

... Only Dumber!

[underpants]

6. People don't like being lied to-two options when confronted with that fact

1.get angry at the person who lied to you
2.ignore it and pretend it didn't happen

W and his supporters are like an abusive relationship.

[Catfight]

7. Underpants, I totally agree, it is a very abusive dysfunctional

relationship. People are very loyal to abusive lying people, it validates their poor self-esteem that they don't deserve better. Bush appeals to the sick part of the human soul.

[MisterP]

19. like Charles Manson (whose eyes Bush inherited)

kick

[UpInArms]

8. I just told my last and final republican friend

that I will never ever speak to, see or have any further communications with her again.

I have known her for 25 years but I no longer care. These people do not want to reason, listen or understand that their blind support of fascism is destroying our democracy.

Now, it's personal and to hell with them all.

[libertad]

14. It is sad, but you've probably done the right thing. They are beyond

reason at this point and there is the definite possibility that their fascist ways will destroy our form of government.

[louis-t]

23. limbaugh quote from yesterday...

I heard it, and I still can't believe it. He made a comment, ended his sentence with something about the "future of our democracy, if we still have a democracy". He knows.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. The German population didn't believe Jews were being gassed

I remember a part in Victor Frankel's book Man's Search for Meaning where he talked about German women coming to the camp and making crafts out of the skins of Jews and being in complete denial that the skins were human skins. I know there are many that object everytime one brings up the corollaries but they are there for the making.

[aden_nak]

10. "Many Bush supporters disregard Logic and Common Fucking Sense."

[Neverarepublican]

11. It tells a lot about human nature

What I am trying to accept about these republicans is that they cannot think further into a situation. They accept what they have been told and thats it. There is no changing their mind. My instinct is to gather information , gather opinions, evaluate and form a conclusion. I don't think that these type of people are capable of doing that. It's who they are. We can't change it. Hopefully, there our enough thinkers to win out and change this administration.

[displacedtexan]

15. A Cognitive Dissonance Refresher...

Once two cognitions are held and there is a conflict between them, the individual falls into a state of cognitive dissonance.

This may be demonstrated by an individual purchasing a brand of washing machine (George W. Bush), initially believing that it was the best product to buy.

This person's cognition is that a good washing machine has been bought.

However, after the purchase, the individual may be exposed to another cognition informing them that there is a better washing machine (John F. Kerry) out on the market (for example, through an advertisement).

This then leads to an imbalance between cognitions and a psychological state which needs to seek consonance between the two cognitions.

Changing a cognition gives some discomfort: one has to reflect and admit to oneself that one has had a wrong cognition.

Therefore, rather than adapt to these cognitions, one may deride the new improved washing machine (Kerry), and perceive the new advertisement as untrue. This is another way of allowing one's cognitions to be in a consonant state once more.

However, there are even more ways of reducing the state of dissonance.

One example is through selecting information after the purchase.

It might be that a person would purposely avoid other washing machine advertisements...

Knowing that the decision had been made and finding out about other products could lead to some discomfort.


Translation: Bush supporters would rather appear stupid than wrong.

[tnlefty]

16. Welcome Neverarepublican!!

:hi:

[farmbo]

17. It's no coincidence that a most of them are "born again" evangelicals

They've ceded their powers of logic to a higher power...in this case Karl Rove.

:crazy:

Welcome to DU!

[Englander]

12. Proof positive that repugs are cretins or fundies....

Jesus told them to smite the Babylonians!!

"contrary to official findings"-contrary to frickin' reality,more like

[Sparkle]

13. Well, Iraq did have WMDs.

They got rid of them long before Shrubnuts came along.

[Francine Frensky]

18. This is the fault of Fox News, if you dig a little deeper

Fox has done a HORRIBLE job of providing the truth. They should lose their license to broadcast. They are misinforming people, which means their viewers vote the wrong way, which means America suffers. There is a lawsuit in this, people. It is just like the cigarette lawsuits, in that you have to prove two things, but put em both togethor, they add up to disaster for america unless corrected.

[Supersedeas]

20. follow the leader and defy the facts

[tabasco]

21. This shows how much they care for the troops.

They don't give a damn if thousands of our troops are sacrificed for no good reason. These armchair chickenhawks just like to see a good war on tv. Despicable!

[Zorra]

22. And these people have driver's licenses? I wish Bu$h supporters would

wear pins or some other common identifier so I would know who to stay away from in my daily life.

Delusional people tend to be dangerous, and not just politically dangerous either.