Antiwar Voters Trust McCain to Make Decisions...

[katty]

Antiwar Voters Trust McCain to Make Decisions About 'War on Terror'

By Ira Chernus, AlterNet. Posted March 12, 2008. (additional poll data in article)

more: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/79351/

excerpt:

The McCain campaign has little in its arsenal beyond two words: "No Surrender" -- no surrender anywhere, but especially in Iraq. Its strategy is merely to hurl that phrase over and over again, in every form imaginable.

Can it work, with public opinion still so firmly against the war? Frank Rich, a liberal stalwart of the New York Times op-ed page, doubts it. He claims that "the mere mention of Iraq is dangerous to Mr. McCain. … It will be a slam-dunk for Democrats to argue that it's long past time for the Iraqis to stand up on a sensible timetable that will allow the Americans to stand down."

But when the issue is war and peace, Democrats should be as wary as George Tenet about predicting a "slam dunk." Frank Rich, like so many others, assumes that voters who are against the war will choose the candidate who is against the war. Ah, if only our fellow citizens were indeed so logical, how much easier it would be to forecast elections -- and what a different nation this would be.

In fact, the polling numbers from late February and early March already show a less logical, more disturbing trend. A clear majority still think the war was a mistake. But when the question is which candidate will do best handling the war, McCain wins every time. In an LA Times/Bloomberg (LAT/B) poll, it's no contest. He outpolls Clinton on the question 51-35 and outpolls Obama 47-34. A Washington Post/ABC (WP/ABC) poll pitted McCain only against Obama. Though the result was closer, McCain still won 48-43. Yet 63% in that poll said the war was not worth fighting.

[bluestateguy]

1. Polls are all bullshit and phantom reality

I have to ever actually meet anyone who has ever been called by one of these "pollsters".

Increasingly, I'm beginning to think that they just make up their numbers.

[AndyTiedye]

2. People Were Sick of the War (and Nixon) in 1972

We should have won by a landslide. Instead we lost 49 states.

What happened?

We got Watergated, so the Repiggies knew everything we were planning, and every piece of potentially damaging information, which they used very effectively.

Armed with that, the media destroyed our candidate.


Now they say they have the right to Watergate us any time they want…

[styersc]

3. I just pray that when McCain beats Obama that the Democrats

in Congress and Senate will finally pull funding and end this foolishness.