As several networks run around with new ratify-our-liberal-bias polls insisting that Sarah Palin is completely unqualified to be president -- exquisitely timed to ruin her book tour and channel all their very obvious and partisan Palin-loathing -- where are the polls that are about 2009, as opposed to 2012?
A scan of Gallup.com and Pollingreport.com suggests that neither Gallup nor any of the networks are asking about the Fort Hood shooting -- either about whether it was terrorism or about whether it shakes people's confidence in the government's ability to protect American citizens from domestic terrorism attacks. Rasmussen had a poll that found 60 percent think Major Nidal Hasan should be tried for terrorism (and liberal blogger Greg Sargent also pulled out of that poll that a majority worried about a backlash against Muslims.)
On the KSM trial decision, there is one poll by CNN and the Opinion Research Corporation, but there is no question about the judgment of President Obama or Attorney General Holder. As Polling Report listed the questions:
-- "Now here are some questions about Khalid Sheik Mohammed who may be responsible for planning the 9/11 attacks and who is now in custody at a U.S. military prison in another country: If you had to choose, would you rather see Khalid Sheik Mohammed brought to trial in a criminal court run by the civilian judicial system, or would you rather see him tried by a military court run by the U.S. armed forces?" (Civilian court 34 percent, military court 64 percent, 2 percent unsure. )
-- "And regardless of which court system you think he should be tried in, if you had to choose, would you rather see Khalid Sheik Mohammed brought to the U.S. to stand trial or would you rather see him tried in a U.S. facility in another country?" (Brought to the U.S., 60 percent, another country, 37 percent, 3 percent unsure. )
-- "If Khalid Sheik Mohammed is tried in a civilian court in the U.S., do you think he would get a fair trial, or don't you think so?" (64 percent fair trial, 34 percent not, 2 percent unsure. )
-- "If Khalid Sheik Mohammed is found guilty of planning the 9/11 attacks, which of the following statements best describes your view? You generally support the death penalty and believe he should be executed if he is found guilty. You generally oppose the death penalty, but believe he should be executed in this case if he is found guilty. You generally oppose the death penalty and believe he should not be executed if he is found guilty." (Generally support death penalty and execution, 59 percent ; generally oppose death penalty but support this execution, 19 percent; generally opposed death penalty and oppose this execution, 19 percent.)
