Blog Assignment #6

July 30, 2008 mjbisign

Moore, David W. “Public Polarized Over Iraq.” Gallup. 2 Feb. 2006. 22 July 2008 <http://www.gallup.com/poll/21256/public-polarized-over-iraq.aspx>.

Gallup.com was originally a site that I found through LexisNexis. It is a data-driven site that provides news to leaders, business executives, and decision makers worldwide. It focuses on many topics. Some of the “Hot Topics” are Muslim World, Iraq War, Race, Consumers, Gas Prices, and Election 2008. Gallup.com publishes timely stories, videos, and analyses related to important world developments and the daily updates make it a must-read.

“Small majorities of Americans say the war has been a mistake and that the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.”
What do I think of this idea?
I think that it is a reason why people are against our country since the war. The fact that the people feel like they are being lied to is a quality reason for why they should not trust the president and his decisions. The Bush administration wanted the people to think there was a real reason for fighting this war, when now they are realizing that they were misled.
How true is it?
I feel that it is true because it is the opinions of the Americans and they were polled to find out these answers. I also know that this was a reason used by the Bush administration to justify their reasons for going to war and Americans now feel misled by it.
Why does it resonate with you?
This quote resonates with me because I personally am not in favor of the war. When doing my research however I cannot be biased, but facts like these that come from the Americans make it clear that the majority of the country is not pleased with what is going on.
Does it challenge or support anything I know or believe?
It supports the idea that Americans are against the war in Iraq as well as the decisions made by the Bush administration. If a large majority of Americans believe that this war is a mistake, then they are not going to be in support of the things going on in this country.
Does it raise or answer questions?
The only questions that I connect with this statement are ones related to the weapons of mass destruction. The public originally obviously would believe what the Bush administration had to say, but what did the Bush administration think the outcome of lying to the public would be? They would have to realize that their would be a repercussion to their lying as well as knowing that the American public would eventually find out what they did wrong.
How does this quotation or claim make you think differently about your topic?  How does it challenge or push your thinking or give you a new line of thought to pursue?  What new original ideas arise from your encounter with this source?
It makes me think a little differently about my topic of why there is disrespect for the United States after September 11 because the underlying root is most likely related to the lying and misleading that occurred. It pushes my thought in the sense that a majority of the American public is against the Bush administration, making it more difficult for them to gain support and correct their mistakes. This source as a whole works to backup the ideas that I had about majorities being against the war and the decisions made. A lot of polls were given and the percentages are somewhat surprising as well as very useful for my research.

““If You Don’t Support the War, You Play Into the Hands of the Enemy, and you Help Destroy the Morale of the Troops…”.” Voice of a Veteran. 22 Feb. 2007. 22 July 2008 <http://voiceofaveteran.blogspot.com/>.

Voice of a Veteran is a blog created by a Veteran from the Iraq war. The first posts began in February of 2004 and have continued to June of 2008.

“So, the administration and its remaining backers in Congress are using the troops and their ‘morale’ as pawns in making you feel guilty about your increasing opposition to the war in Iraq – 2/3rds of you in this country.”
What do I think of this idea?
I think it is a new idea that is brought up that is seemingly very true. The public does not want to be against the soldiers because they are the ones who are fighting for us in this war and in the end many of them are losing their lives and coming out injured. The administration knows that America as a whole does not want to be against the soldiers, so they are using it against them and using it as a way to get to them during this war.
How true is it?
I feel that this is a true statement because as the source before this stated, a majority of the country is against this current war. The Bush administration knows that so they are trying to do everything they can to gain back some of the support. However, their tactics are not effective since the country knows what they are trying to do.
Why does it resonate with you?
This resonates with me because I think it is terrible that the administration is using its soldiers as a way to manipulate and get to the public. The morale of the soldiers for the most part is low and by having them know they are being used as a way for the administration to get to the public, it will make their morale even lower.
Does it challenge or support anything I know or believe?
I know that not many American are in support of the war so this just confirms that even more. For the most part, I do not think that by using the troops as pawns there will be more support for the war. The public knows the general idea of what the soldiers are going through and the number of them that are getting injured and killed. Although they are not going to want to go against the troops for the most part, they are not going to become in support of the war based on the fact that the administration is yet again lying to them and misleading them.
Does it raise or answer questions?
This statement works to clarify that the administration is pushing the public away. By lying to them more and more, they will have less trust in the administration and their decisions. When I read “the remaining backers in Congress” it makes me wonder how much of Congress is against the current war and how much of Congress is one of the backers.
How does this quotation or claim make you think differently about your topic?  How does it challenge or push your thinking or give you a new line of thought to pursue?  What new original ideas arise from your encounter with this source?
This makes me think differently about my topic because the administration is now clearly using the troops as a way to get to the people. I do not believe in this and this is another reason why Americans may be against the country. Yet again they are being misled and lied to. It pushes my ideas more because it is another idea to explore and brings in a new aspect of the lying being done and the reasons for it.

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2 Comments Add your own

• 1. rhetoricsofwar  |  July 31, 2008 at 4:09 am

  Hi Morgan. Both these articles seem as if they will be very generative for your essay. I agrees that the misleading rhetoric used by the Bush administration is a reason why many U.S. citizens are frustrated with this government. Another reason that came to my mind is that this administration has really causes a culture of fear and played directly into the hands of large corporations. People now seem to see through the Bush’s rhetoric and feel discouraged by the tactics used to sway public support. I wonder if you have encountered any of the arguments made for the impeachment of Bush. This call seems the ultimate example of those citizens who feel animosity toward this government….

• 2. sraisner  |  August 1, 2008 at 1:43 am

  I really like both of the articles that you chose. For your questions that you answer about the first one, I would just make sure that you do not directly say that the government lied about weapons of mass destruction. I kind of got the feeling that you were saying that in your answers to the questions and that is really going to be a strong statement if you put it in your paper. I would try and reword that and maybe put in the exact statistics from the poll and say something along the lines of, “many americans feel…”

  In your second quote that you elaborate on, I really like how you used the phrase “the government is pushing americans away”. I think that is a great way to go with your paper because you are not directly saying that they are lying, but it seems as if you are saying that many of their actions are having a negative effect on our countries feelings towards the government.

  A question that came up in my mind from reading these quotes is do you think the government is really putting on an act? What is their true reason for producing these “lies” to the public? I think that could be a good way to end your paper. Maybe trying to figure out why the government is doing some of the things they are doing.

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