Posted on Sat, Jun. 14, 2003  

War poll uncovers fact gap
Many mistakenly believe U.S. found WMDs in Iraq.
By Frank Davies
Inquirer Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - A third of the American public believes U.S. forces have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, according to a recent poll. Twenty-two percent said Iraq actually used chemical or biological weapons.

But such weapons have not been found in Iraq and were not used.

Before the war, half of those polled in a survey said Iraqis were among the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001. But most of the Sept. 11 terrorists were Saudis; none was an Iraqi.

The results startled even the pollsters who conducted and analyzed the surveys. How could so many people be so wrong about information that has dominated news coverage for almost two years?

"It's a striking finding," said Steve Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, which asked the weapons questions during a May 14-18 poll of 1,256 respondents.

He added: "Given the intensive news coverage and high levels of public attention, this level of misinformation suggests some Americans may be avoiding having an experience of cognitive dissonance."

That is, of having their beliefs conflict with the facts. Kull noted that the mistaken belief that weapons had been found "is substantially greater among those who favored the war."

Pollsters and political analysts offer several reasons for the gaps between facts and beliefs: the public's short attention span on foreign news, fragmentary or conflicting media reports that lacked depth or skepticism, and Bush administration efforts to sell a war by oversimplifying the threat.

"Most people get little whiffs and fragments of news, not in any organized way," said Thomas Mann, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, a centrist-liberal think tank. "And there have been a lot of conflicting reports on the weapons."

Before the war, the U.S. media often reported as a fact the assertions by the Bush administration that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of illegal weapons.

During and after the war, reports of possible weapons discoveries were often trumpeted on front pages, while follow-up stories debunking the reports received less attention.

"There were so many reports and claims before the war, it was easy to be confused," said Larry Hugick, chairman of Princeton Survey Research Associates. "But people expected the worst from Saddam Hussein and made connections based on the administration's policy."

Bush has described the preemptive attack on Iraq as "one victory in the war on terror that began Sept. 11." Bush officials also say Iraq sheltered and helped al-Qaeda operatives.

"The public is susceptible to manipulation, and if they hear officials saying there is a strong connection between Iraq and al-Qaeda terrorists, then they think there must be a connection," Mann said.

"Tapping into the feelings and fears after Sept. 11 is a way to sell a policy," he added.

Polls show strong support for Bush and the war, although 40 percent in the May survey found U.S. officials were "misleading" in some of their justifications for war. A majority, 55 percent, said they were not misleading.

Several analysts said the murky claims and intelligence data about lethal weapons and terrorist ties allowed most people to see such news through the filter of their own political beliefs.

And GOP pollsters said any controversy over weapons won't change public attitudes, because ridding Iraq of an oppressive regime was reason enough for war for many Americans.

"People supported the war for national-security reasons, and that shifted to humanitarian reasons when they saw evidence of Saddam's atrocities," Republican strategist Frank Luntz said. "There's an assumption these weapons will be found because this guy was doing so many bad things."

Several analysts said they were troubled by the lack of knowledge about the Sept. 11 hijackers, shown in the January survey conducted for Knight Ridder newspapers. Only 17 percent correctly said that none of the hijackers was Iraqi.

"That really bothers me, because it shows a lack of understanding about other countries - that maybe many Americans don't know one Arab from another," said Sam Popkin, a polling expert at the University of California-San Diego who has advised Democratic candidates. "Maybe because Saudis are seen as rich and friendly, people have a hard time dealing with them as hijackers."

Hugick said his analysis showed those who were misinformed were not necessarily those who had less education.

"I think a lot of people are just confused about the threats out there," he said.

Quoted:
I guess I would be included.

Why would you hide 55 gallon drums of bug spray?

Quoted:
I love the way leftists use the "Red Menace" in scare quotes!  Hey, that menace was real.  Just ask any refugee from a communist country, or the relatives of the 50 million killed by communists in the 20th century.

GunLvr

Quoted:


The "Menace" was NOT real to US families and servicemen who,(once again), died in the place of foreigners. The people the commies killed ALLOWED it. That's why US troops are used. For those too cowardly to free themselves.

Quoted:
hmmm....

Interesting topic.

US troops find chemicals in rockets, but the UN tells everyone it is bug spray.

US troops find bunkers that contain the same pesticide that is used in "Nerve Agents," but UN claims they examine this pesticide in the bunker and found it to be not quite strong enough to be considered a "Nerve Agent."

US troops find a uranium/plutonium mix in 55 gallon drums, but the UN tells everyone is radioactive waste and it is the US fault that local Iraqis stole the barrels and got exposed to the uranium plutonium mix.

US troops find numerous unmarked burial sites throughout Iraq, which Iraqis tells us, contain the remains of their long lost relatives that oppose Iraq government.    Unfortunately, the UN says that they can’t confirm this due to Iraqis disturbing the evidence at the site before their investigators could review the site.

US troops destroy numerous divisions of Iraq troops.   Numerous reports detail the fact that Iraq troops removed there uniforms and dress in civilian clothing.  The UN reports that the US murdered more than 3000 civilians in its War on Terror.

Seems that the spin doctor is working overtime.

Quoted:
No genius he is claiming that if we wouldn't have shipped them food and money and military hardware, that they would have stopped being a threat to us.....

you want to look up the facts on how much food and aid we are giving to our "enemies" right now. Keep believing the government propaganda.

Answer me one question..why is Saudi Arabia still our friend....the list of the hijackers can't be wrong can it?

Quoted:


So you're claiming that the Soviet Union was not actually a threat to the US, during the Cold War?
Genius.

Quoted:
If you find this insulting, perhaps you shouldn't play footsy with the truth.
Most people find THAT insulting.

Quoted:



No "Genius", simply that the USSR was not the huge threat we were constantly told, (which history has borne out), any more than WMD's are a threat now....
The only "Threat" to the US, was the fact we sent troops to die around the world to fight the red "menace", just like WMD's now. I don't know about you, but I'm NOT enjoying hearing about US soldiers in some foreign country getting picked off every day...

Quoted:
...if Ari told you that the sky was blue, you'd say it was green.

Quoted:


Ahhh, backtracking.
There's a big difference between the "Menace was not real" and the USSR was not as much of a threat as we were told.

So you believe that Iraq being able to manufacture and sell/spread Bio weapons and Nukes poses NO THREAT to the US?
Genius. [;)]

Quoted:
NO backtrack!! The govt. mislead the people as to the threat. Therefore, the threat was not real. How difficult is that??

So YOU believe any one who posses's them we don't like should be invaded?? There is NO evidence Saddam had WMD when we invaded, and there NEVER WAS evidence that he would/could use 'em in conus....

Quoted:
Oh goody rikky and cincin both...leap dishonest truth.

....do you have any idea what you are talking about

....It all comes down to one thing you believe the government...I don't.

Quoted:


So YOU believe any one who posses's them we don't like should be invaded?? There is NO evidence Saddam had WMD when we invaded, and there NEVER WAS evidence that he would/could use 'em in conus....

And just to stop your harping, YES Iraq DID submit the info to the UN their WMD's had been destroyed...

Bush and Blair decided that just wouldn't work, so they just shined it on....

The "Menace" was NOT real to US families and servicemen who,(once again), died in the place of foreigners. The people the commies killed ALLOWED it. That's why US troops are used. For those too cowardly to free themselves.

Quoted:
No I am not illiterate....insult #1

I am possibly the most well read person you know, I have been reading since I was four and I usuallly read 1 book every day or two.

I don't hate the US, you #$%^&*, I hate what you and your ilk have done to the republic

Do you have anything that says GW made the government smaller or reduced regulations or reduced welfare....no he made them bigger. That's my problem skippy. If we took that article in the other thread and put Klinton's name in it, you would be foaming at the mouth.

Quoted:


[BS]
Your a self proclaimed atheists, Don't thank
God when it suits your argument. You gonna
burn in hell for that boy![ROFL2]

Quoted:


Very easy.  Also a lie.  The threat from the Soviets was VERY real, as evidenced by all the countries they turned Communist.

Quoted:
I finally did it, I managed to get rikky and cincin run to the ground in the same day.

Quoted:
Produce for me ONE scrap of "evidence" That Saddam had WMD between last summer, and invasion day!

If the "evidence", exists, where are the WMD's?

Our vaunted intelligence, (you know, the same one that saved us on 9/11), can't seem to find any evidence now, and they are saying THEY had NO evidence he had them, in the six months leading up to the war.. If intelligence doesn't have evidence rik, I'd love to see yours. Produce it please.

Seems to me, most of the world except Bush, Blair, Rummie, you, and a few others were screaming he had 'em. Where are they rik???

Syria? Buried in the desert? [ROFL2]

Quoted:
Produce for me ONE scrap of "evidence" That Saddam had WMD between last summer, and invasion day!

If the "evidence", exists, where are the WMD's?

Our vaunted intelligence, (you know, the same one that saved us on 9/11), can't seem to find any evidence now, and they are saying THEY had NO evidence he had them, in the six months leading up to the war.