[Rhodes22-list] Politics: A View From The Ground & polls

[brad haslett]

Bob,

This is hardly a scientific polling method but you can
read several Iraqi soldier blogs to get a feel for
what is going on. Their perspective is often much
different than the mainstream news media. Here's a
link:

http://www.blogsofwar.com/

You can link under mil blogs to different views of
what is going on, both good and bad.  Many of the
soldiers "blogging" are frustrated by what they
percieve as only bad news making the papers.

It's still a mess.

Brad Haslett
"CoraShen"


--- Robert Skinner <robert at squirrelhaven.com> wrote:

> Steve wrote:
> > The lastest polls I saw confirmed that the vast
> > miltary (all branches) supports Bush and that the
> war
> > is going quite well despite how the media is
> reporting
> > it.
> > Steve
> --------------------------------------------------
> 
> Steve, 
> 
> I have to temper my belief in such polls for a 
> number of reasons:
> 
> 1.  As stated by someone else, the troops are 
> generally discouraged from making political 
> statements -- specially those counter to the 
> positions held by the commander in chief.
> 
> 2.  While a lot of the military is in Iraq, it 
> is far from the majority, and many have never 
> seen combat, specially those not in the infantry 
> or Marine Corps.  Flying bullets and hostile 
> faces can affect your enthusiasm.
> 
> 3.  Given the difficulty and danger of travel on 
> the ground in Iraq, I have to suspect that many 
> polls are conducted in hotel rooms with small 
> samples.  Also, issuing adverse reports is a sure 
> way to jeopardize your security cover if you are 
> able to get to the field.
> 
> 4.  Private communications from family members 
> and children of friends are almost universally 
> negative, which casts doubt on the positive 
> reports from government sources.
> 
> I wish we were doing better, but don't see a lot
> of evidence to support such a hope.
> 
> /Bob Skinner
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> 



		
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