Has the push-polling of John McCain ever been proven?

[bif]

I brought this up at a dinner with some Republicans over the weekend. They were incredulous that Bush would ever do anything like that. I couldn't believe my ears. I told them I'd email them some links to prove it. Anyone have any good ones? Ones that a Republican idiot might believe? (They also believe that there's a liberal media in this country.)

[Botany]

1. This help?

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/

"Anonymous opponents used "push polling" to suggest that McCain's Bangladeshi born daughter was his own,
illegitimate black child. In push polling, a voter gets a call, ostensibly from a polling company, asking which
candidate the voter supports. In this case, if the "pollster" determined that the person was a McCain supporter,
he made statements designed to create doubt about the senator."

[bif]

2. Thanks!

They'll probably say "Hey, it's a liberal rag, what do you expect." But at least it's in print.

[Botany]

4. You can google South Carolina papers and find examples too.

BTW how can McCain hug bush after he called his adopted child a "black bastard?"

[bif]

6. Because McCain is totally shameless?

No credibility, in my opinion. Sucking up to Bush! Yikes, wha an asshole.

[Clark2008]

3. Here's a few:

Perhaps the most famous alleged use of push polls is in the 2000 United States Republican Party primaries, when it was alleged that George W. Bush's campaign used push polling to torpedo the campaign of Senator John McCain. Voters in South Carolina reportedly were asked "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?", an allegation that had no substance, but planted the idea of undisclosed allegations in the minds of thousands of primary voters<1>. McCain and his wife had in fact adopted a Bangladeshi girl.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll

Bush's campaign strategists, including Karl Rove, devised a push poll against John McCain. South Carolina voters were asked "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?". They had no interest in the actual percentages in the poll, the goal was to suggest that he had. This was particularly vicious since McCain was campaining with his adopted Bangladeshi daughter. The sight of the little dark skinned girl made the seed planted earlier grow and John McCain lost South Carolina, effectively ending his run for the presidency.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Push_poll

I wish I could find something from Faux, but I can't. I just noticed they don't show up in Google searches as often as CNN or MSNBC. Probably because the source is dubious. ;)

[napi21]

5. Some more

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Push_poll

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll