James Taranto at Opinion Journal's "Best of the Web Today" reports that CBS just has to slant its poll reporting:
Here's a lovely example of liberal media bias: A CBS poll finds that 60% of Americans say it's likely "that the United States will ultimately find success in Iraq," and more than 50% say "Iraq will eventually become a stable democracy."
So is the headline, "Majority of Americans Foresee Success in Iraq"? Nope, it's "Poll: Zarqawi Death Has Little Impact." CBS chose to play up this finding:
Half think the level of violence in Iraq will be unchanged by Zarqawi's death, while 30 percent say it will actually lead to more attacks against U.S. forces. Just 16 percent think the number of attacks will decrease as a result of his death.
Sixty-one percent also say Zarqawi's death won't have any impact on the terrorist threat against the United States, while 22 percent it will increase that threat. Thirteen percent predict a decreased risk of terrorism.
In some sense this all doesn't matter--after all, these are just opinions, mostly held by people who have no more than a passing knowledge of Iraq. But CBS insists on emphasizing those results that make it appear as if Americans agree with the "liberal," anti-Iraq point of view.
Of course, this doesn't really serve the interests of liberals, since it reinforces their prejudices by misleading them into thinking most Americans share them. If most Americans think Iraq will succeed, is that going to lead them to vote for a party that is rallying around a defeatist like John Murtha?
