Pollster.com

I only recently started following this site, but it has made me lose my faith in Democracy. Look how illogical people are:

Do you support the war? NO!

Do you support sending more troops to fight the war? YES!

WTF? That either tells me people are stupid or that the wording of poll questions influences the results so much as to make the poll meaningless.

Roman,

Your latter postulation is probably more accurate. However, i do think that in general, republicans were supportive of more troops while democrats were against. But when Obama sent the troops, a small percentage of democrats shifted their position in support of the President. Just my theory.

I am not in favor of the commercialism of Christmas, but when Santa asks me to support an increase in reindeer, I find it hard to say no.

I oppose pass intererence calls in the NFL unless my team is on offense.

Too many people are stupid in this country and yet people think the Prez and Congress should make policy based on polls. This is a country where people support or otherwise for policy is based largely on talking points.

"hat either tells me people are stupid or that the wording of poll questions influences the results so much as to make the poll meaningless."

I think it's some of both of those, but I don't think Americans are stupid as much as they have short memories and are extremely self-centered.

"31% Opposed initial decision in 2001"

This is ludicrous.

For one, opposition to the war in Afghanistan back in 2001 was somewhere around 10-15% tops. Back then everyone wanted retribution. Either people are lying, don't remember how they felt following 9/11, or CNN polled a lot of people that were not polled in 2001, maybe younger people.

Actually I think the opposite is true. People aren't stupid, but rather are more capable than you might give them credit for since they are able to take a nuanced view.

Opposing the war is natural at this point, but it appears that most people value victory in Afghanistan and believe that the president's troop surge is a necessary move which will hopefull produce that victory. If you gave them the choice of no war at all they would take it, but they realize that's not really a choice. What's done is done, and now we have to deal with the current situation.

Another possibility is that, while they oppose the war, they don't feel right speaking against the troops who are going over there to fight.

@sjt22

I understand that people may have changed their minds about Afghanistan. That's not what I have a problem with. What I don't like is that this poll indicates almost 1/3 disagreed with going to war **in 2001.** According to polls from 2001, that's simply not true.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121727/americans-upbeat-progress-iraq-afghanistan.aspx

Here's Gallup: "In Gallup's initial 2001 poll about Afghanistan, shortly after the U.S. invasion, and in the poll that followed in January 2002, a very small minority of 9% and 6% of Americans, respectively, said U.S. involvement in that country was a mistake."

Now several times that many people claim to have opposed it from the start. 9 is now 31.

"31% Opposed INITIAL DECISION in 2001." Either Gallup committed a considerable polling error in 2001, missing a lot of opposition to Afg. or the respondants in this poll were confused as to what they thought 8 years ago.

Or this poll is wrong and the distinction between opposing it then vs. now wasn't clear to that 31%.

@ Aaron

I can believe that 31% said that. It may not be true, as you point out with the discrepency with the 2001 polls, but I doubt it was sample error by Gallup.

People often have faulty memories when it comes to polling, especially when so much time has passed. People tend to overreport things like turnout, who they actually voted for in elections, and support or opposition to various policies as they become more or less popular or successful.

Afghanistan is going to be an unwinnable conflict. In a conservative part of upstate Ny where I travel and people are very patriotic I find topics of conversation as being very pessemistic about the war. "Why don't we mind our own business"? I honestly think Obama had no choice but to go since he had promised to fight and kill Al Queda in Afghanistan. In retrospect, I am not sure if Obama should have been so determined to go to Afghanistan. I had been opposed to IRaq from day 1 but Afghanistan would have been the right war to deal with, but 8 years later, it is too late.

People are not being illogical in opposing the war and stating support for President Obama's decision to send more troops. The sentiment is: I would rather that we not have a war but since we are having a war at least do it right and send enough troops to win.

Given that more killing generates more local outraged patriots in Afghanistan aka 'terrorists' winning may not be an option by this method.