Busy Day

Man, am I a hard-working guy. Staying late at work, de-icing the sidewalk, then some tidying up indoors. Not much fun, and I'm kinda tired. So I'll have to make up some blogtime tomorrow. For now, just another blogger's angle on that goofy story about a new Iraq poll that's being disingenuously in some quarters to keep selling the Iraq war (Yes! Some people still think we're just a patriotic country song away from total victory!).

In a dramatic finding, a new poll shows a solid majority of Americans still wants to win the war in Iraq -- and keep U.S. troops there until the Baghdad government can take over.

Strong majorities also say victory is vital to the War on Terror and that Americans should support President Bush even if they have concerns about the way the war is being handled, according to the survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies....

OK, stop right there.

Public Opinion Strategies? It's the well-established partisan Republican firm that brought you the "Harry and Louise" ads during the debate over the Clinton health care plan. Charges of push-polling dog Public Opinion Strategies -- in Texas in the mid-'90s, for example, and in Vermont and Pennsylvania and New York State this past year. POS also conducted a push poll on Net neutrality in 2006, for Verizon.

This is a push poll because so much of it is right-wing talking points turned into questions.

Examples follow. Apparently my utter scorn for the poll was way, way too generous.