If they had any integrity, they'd be ashamed

About that "poll" across the front page of thousands of newspapers today purporting that most American troops in Iraq are actually against the war:

Blarney. Fiddlesticks. Horse feathers. Bovine compost.

For starters, look at who did it: Zogby International and the Center for Peace and Global Studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.--which is exactly what it sounds like, an anti-war outfit. As is Zogby.

What kind of skepticism do you think there'd be in the mainstream mediocracy if such a poll had been done by the Pentagon? Actually, we know the answer to that. When the Associated Press was forced to address why it was failing to report any of the good news of nation-building progress when it was all there for the taking on the Defense Department's Web site, guess what? Why, they wouldn't think of relying on a source that was so obviously biased.

Hmm, maybe's there a little hypocrisy problem here, you think? Day-o.

Then there's the little matter of the methodology: Zogby's not giving that out. They're hiding behind security for respondents, but the effect is to deny the public the ability to determine the poll's reliability. This clearly raises questions about their having something to hide--the degree of skewing from the way information was gathered. But did that stop the mainstream mediocracy? It's like Rathergate: They so want the report to be true that they're willing to waive the normal standards for credibiity.

The word "shameless" comes to mind.

But don't take my word for it. Mark Blumenthal, an objective social scientist-blogger, has the goods on this one. Take a look for yourself.

Meanwhile, methinks we might just take a deeper look ourselves into just what this Syracuse peace center is all about...