George W. Bush at 71% Approval Rating

Nonono. Not a comment on you. Was just reading this... conversation and Monty Python came to mind.
I DESPERATELY need MORE Python in my day.

I didn't think you was commenting on me max.

I was just going with the flow.

We should make a rule that everyone has to quote from Monty Python at least once a day.

After all, what have the Romans ever done for us!?

Follow the sacred Gourd!

No, follow the sacred shoe!

The whole time during the UN Security Council Iraq debate I kept thinking of this scene where the People's Front of Judea were discussing how useless and wasteful discussion is:





(Quoted from memory)

And just recently announced:

Iraq has it's own crack suicide squad!

You silly sods!

most americans do think for themselves..

it's those morons protesting the war who can't think for themselves

Is that following the logic that:

A) I think for myself
B) I support the war
C) Anyone who has thought about it will reach the same conclusions I have

so

D) Anyone who doesn't support the war must not have thought about it

Sorry. Long ass day. Ugly day.
Ever read Alexander and theTerrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?
Alexander was a wus and his day had nothing on mine. And it began yesterday.

And I clearly see who thinks for you.
Just out of curiosity, is it just folks with whom you disagree who "can't think for themselves" or is it anyone left of center or left of you?

Non sequitur.

You can be against the war, but pro-Bush.

You can be against the war, but say you're pro-Bush in a poll.

You can be for the war and be liberal

You could, even, be liberal and pro-Bush

If you want to know who is for the war, you have to ask them 'Are you for the war?'.

Then you have to calibrate your poll to determine how many people, when answering a question 'Yes', mean 'yes'. How many mean 'no', how many mean 'pardon', how many mean 'I wish I had the balls to say yes', how many mean 'if I say yes will you go away?' and how many mean 'don't know'.

You cannot, with any degree of credibility make your inference from your data.

By this logic, we shall now discount all polling evidence that Europeans oppose the war.

Yup.

As a general rule you should discount all polls as fiction, up to and including elections (viz. Bush vs. Gore). Even in a Presidential election, people didn't understand the question.

it would be better if we discounted all polling, period.
The problem is that rarely if ever are the actual questions published along with the results, the "results" are conclusions drawn by either the researchers or the organization releasing the results. the exact nature of the sample is not significant, in most cases, and skewed in other cases.

To use any poll as justification for your own opinion is inherently lame. Simply state your own opinion and be done with it. Because, for certain, if a poll contradicted your opinion, you would not change your opinion, so to use it as justification or proof of your opinion is duplicitious.

As an example, a poll question might be structured:

1. Do you...
A. approve of Bush's performance in office? 25%
B. approve of Bush's handling of domestic issues? 15%
C. Approve of Bush's handling of foreign issues? 25%
D. Disapprove of Bush's performance in office? 30%
E. Disapprove of Bush's handling of foreign issues? 55%

now, you COULD recollate this information into saying that 65% percent of people approve Bush. But, as you see, it depends on the individual questions. But Usually, we don't get to see the individual questions, or are they adequately broken out. We just see the conclusion drawn by the organization who paid for the poll.

So. Lerk. How many times have you explained this? By my (cursory) count, I'd say at least 8.
Points to you for explaining it differently every time.

You've made me soil my armor for nothing.

And each time it gets clearer...

Hense the need to change his sign off back to "I've made a point that some will not understand so I guess it wasn't a very effectively made point"



I admire your patience, Lerk.

heck, I thought I was exasperated. But if it reads like patience, cool.

Jeez. Even with angry cartoon man in your sig, you're STILL mistaken for the patient kind and gentle soul.
Hey, man. You may have to move up to quoting NIN or something.