Those useless polls

WASHINGTON - One year after President George W Bush declared an end to "major hostilities" in Iraq, public opinion there and in the United States is beginning to converge as people in both countries increasingly agree that the US invasion and occupation might not have been such a good idea after all. That is one conclusion of two major public opinion polls released on Thursday.

One poll by the New York Times and CBS News suggested that a record 58 percent of US respondents now believe the invasion was not worth the cost in lives and resources. And another by CNN, USA Today, and Gallup found that 57 percent of Iraqis believe US-led coalition forces should leave their country "in the next few months."

  Asia Times article

A national poll of Iraqis published Friday indicates 63 percent are optimistic their lives will be better in five years, USA Today reported.

The USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll in late March and early April queried 3,444 Iraqis.

Most want the United States to leave immediately or soon after the transfer of power June 30 to an as-yet-undefined transitional Iraqi government.

  Washington Times article

Let's take just a minute to reflect on polls in Iraq. Just a second, even.

Where are the poll-takers doing their poll-taking? Do you suppose they're in any of the bitterly embattled areas? Even at that, the Iraqis in safe areas don't seem to be too fond of our being there, do they, Mr. Faber?

Perhaps the polls should at least stipulate that, amongst Iraqis who are not under seige or being fired upon on a daily basis, the poll results indicate such and such.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.