WaPo's O'Keefe: Obama Has 'Big Lead' on Iraq. Really?

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.
By Mark Finkelstein (Bio | Archive)
June 17, 2008 - 14:56 ET

Simple mistake, or wish fulfillment?  Appearing on MSNBC this afternoon, a Washington Post reporter claimed the paper's latest poll results showed Barack Obama with a "big lead" over John McCain on the issue of handling Iraq.  The only problem: the poll actually shows McCain with a small lead on the issue. David Shuster interviewed Ed O'Keefe of WashingtonPost.com at 3:03 PM EDT.

DAVID SHUSTER: Ed, when asked who do you trust on the economy Barack Obama is ahead by 16 points.  On women's issues he's ahead by 32 points. So where's John McCain making up the difference.

ED O'KEEFE: Terrorism. He's ahead of him big on that issue and that issue alone, it seems.  Also, there's a perceived weakness for Barack Obama generally on his experience. McCain's certainly ahead on those two things. But you're right: on everything else, especially the big issues—Iraq and the economy, health care—Barack Obama has a big lead.

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Barack has a "big lead" on Iraq? O'Keefe apparently wasn't looking at the monitor, which showed [see screencap] that on the question of which candidate people trust to handle the war in Iraq, McCain is leading by 47% to 46%.  And no, MSNBC didn't misstate the poll results.  Here's a link to the paper's own polling data.  The results on Iraq are displayed at question 17, and show McCain with that slim lead.

So again, simple mistake, or perhaps a mind-set that says "everyone knows Americans are 'against' the war, so surely Obama must be leading in the polls"?  My two cents say that while many Americans feel the war was a mistake, they believe the surge—that McCain championed and Obama opposed—is working and don't favor an ignominious withdrawal.

Let's put the wish fulfillment theory this way: how likely is it that the WaPo reporter would have mistakenly presented the poll results in McCain's favor?

Update | 7-3-08: O'Keefe Responds

Ed O'Keefe has been in touch to say that the mistake in representing the results of the poll was just that—a mistake—with no other motive involved.  Ed also mentioned that, contrary to my indication in the orignal post, he did not previously work on This Week With George Stephanopoulos.  That's another Ed O'Keefe. I apologize for the error.  

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


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This isn't a poll, it's an

June 17, 2008 - 15:34 ET by mattm

This isn't a poll, it's an Obama ad. We'll see tons of this kind of crap until Nov. 4.

Mark.. Question # 11

June 17, 2008 - 15:36 ET by Gary Hall

Imagine how the response can be molded on a question like this, depending on how it is phrased? 

# 11. Do you think (the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued U.S. military casualties); OR, do you think (the United States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there)?

or: 

Noting the recent improvements in Iraq, do you think (the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored if that means that there would be "Hope" for the future of the Iraqi people and peace for the region there even if that means continued U.S. military casualties); OR, do you think (the United States should risk loosing all that it has fought for and withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there)?

 

12. "All told, do you think

June 17, 2008 - 18:20 ET by GregE

12. "All told, do you think the United States is winning or losing the war in Iraq?"

Let's see, most American's get their information from mainstream media sources, and most mainstream media sources slant hard Left and discuss Iraq only when there are bad things to discuss.  So it's not hard to see that there could be a higher number saying "losing" even when it's not so.

So, to get a majority "winning" on this, it can't be just a slight winning edge, but instead must be a huge winning edge that the media can't ignore (as they are trying hard to do now), otherwise they successfully downplay any winning that America is doing in Iraq.  Pretty shameful and nearly treasonous.

Obama has no chance, he hasn't a clue

June 17, 2008 - 18:57 ET by wdhorning

The polls, if accurate also show how stupid some voters are:

- the economy has always faired better with Republicans, because Republicans push for economic incentives, while Tax and Spend Democrats stiffle any economy

- as for women's issues, Obama hasn't a clue, and the racist attitudes Rev Wright brainwashed Obaama with typically come with sexist attitudes too, in fact, it comes with other bigotry as well.

 

 

"Women's issues" is an

June 17, 2008 - 20:39 ET by Schnikeys

"Women's issues" is an issue??

 

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Let's put the wish

June 17, 2008 - 20:50 ET by bigtimer

Let's put the wish fulfillment theory this way: how likely is it that the WaPo reporter would have mistakenly presented the poll results in McCain's favor?

Mark...Zilch. 

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Wilson