Why was it conducted with the least reliable sample method? Captain Ed wants to know. UPDATE: Another reader points out that although the sample method was dubious for the entire poll, they did parse many questions using a registered voters criterion. And even by that count, Kerry still had an eight point lead.
THE BBC ON THE BEHEADING: Never averse to presenting the other side in dealing with terrorists who behead innocent civilians, the BBC had this to say about South Koreans’ views of yesterday’s atrocity and the policy implications:
The South Korean troops to be deployed in Iraq are due to be involved in humanitarian and rebuilding work, and the area they are to be based in, near Kurdish-controlled Irbil, has been largely peaceful. But the BBC’s Charles Scanlon in Seoul says that internet chat sites suggest a majority of Koreans believe their troops should not be taking part in what they see as an immoral occupation.
Ah the scientific polling of the BBC. Anything to promote the idea that a war against terror and fascism is futile.
ANOTHER MOORE LIE: This one on Bush’s vacations. Of course, the premise is wrong as well. The effectiveness of a president does not inhere in his ability to work non-stop round the clock. It’s what he does when he works. Vacations and sleep are integral to a healthy mind and body. Americans need to do more of them, not less. Good for Bush for setting an example.
THAT LIBERAL MEDIA: It’s worth downloading and reading this study on media bias. Its merit is that it tries to find an objective measure of right/left positioning by checking citations of various think tanks. This is somewhat limiting, but not nuts. The authors see which think-tanks are cited by which newspapers and media outlets and they compare them with citations by members of Congress. In a very closely divided House, this makes some sense. And the results are that the press isn’t just slightly to the left of the American middle – but wildly out of sync. (Drudge, by the way, comes out a centrist not because of his own page’s text, but due to the text of all the links he cites. But it shows he cites outlets of all persuasions, even if some, presumably, are linked in order to mock them). Then there’s this arresting passage:
These statistics suggest that journalists, as a group, are more liberal than almost any congressional district in the country. For instance, in the Ninth California district, which includes Berkeley, twelve percent voted for Bush, nearly double the rate of journalists. In the Eighth Massachusetts district, which includes Cambridge, nineteen percent voted for Bush, more than triple the rate of journalists. In the 14th California district, which includes Palo Alto, 26 percent voted for Bush, more than four times the rate of journalists.
Of course, what the author doesn’t realize is that journalists are uniquely virtuous individuals and never let their internal views dictate the content, placement or subject-matter of stories. Never happens.
The Dish 