Recently, left wingers have been seizing upon a questionable Zogby poll to undermine the war effort. The often cited poll basically concludes that American troops in Iraq have decided the war isn't worth the effort, moral is low, and that most favor a rapid withdrawl.
Unfortunately, eveyrthing about the poll and the methodology used when conducting it is suspect. Here's a recent interview with Zogby. Let me know what you think.
A brief interview with John Zogby (by Hugh Hewitt)
RadioBlogger.com Thursday, March 2
HH: John Zogby, welcome to the Hugh Hewitt Show.
JZ: Hi, how are you?
HH: Good. John, your poll has created quite a lot of controversy out of Iraq. Who paid for it?
JZ: It was a gentleman who is a very wealthy individual who is anti-war, but he had absolutely no influence on any of the questions at all. He just simply wanted to know how do the troops feel? We have released the questions to everyone. The questions were very benign and objective. We're not accustomed to doing anything any other way.
HH: Has he commissioned polls from you before?
JZ: No.
HH: Did you got to Iraq to oversee the taking of the poll?
JZ: No, I personally did not. I've polled Iraq 14, 15 times, but I have a partner in the Middle East who does my Middle East polling. That's a standard procedure for those of us with global firms. We have partners overseas, some of us have franchises that actually conduct them.
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Hmm?
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Informational International.
HH: And did they send someone into Iraq to oversee it?
JZ: Yes, they did.
HH: Do you know who that was?
JZ: Yeah, employees of their own.
HH: Do you know which one?
JZ: Yeah. Does it mean anything to you?
HH: Yeah, I'd like to know.
JZ: What if I'd mention their names?
HH: I'd like that.
JZ: Well, I'm not going to mention them on the air for security reasons.
HH: They don't live in Iraq, though.
JZ: And Hugh, we made this clear to you that this was not polling Kansas, that there was security consideration. I have mentioned all the details and all the names to reporters that I trust, off the record, in an indication that the poll was honestly and objectively done. And obviously, I indicated to you and your producer beforehand, through Fritz Wenzel, our communications director, there were some thing we were just not going to discuss on the air.
HH: Right. But Information Interactive is not...
JZ: And I think your listeners understand that.
HH: Information Interactive is not an Iraqi, right?
JZ: Information International.
HH: Okay.
JZ: ...is Beirut-based, and it has offices throughout the Middle East.
HH: So did they use an Iraqi national or someone else to oversee the poll?
JZ: Hugh, do you suppose that an Iraqi national would be allowed to poll U.S. servicemen?
HH: I'm asking you. So the answer is no?
JZ: The answer is no.
HH: So why is there a security concern in telling me who the Lebanese gentleman is who oversaw the work in Iraq?
JZ: Because that's something that I won't discuss, because it comes under the provision that it's not something that you need to know.
HH: It would go to the credibility of the poll, wouldn't it, John?
JZ: Oh, it would not. No, no, no, I have given to reporters that I trust, I have given all of the details off the record. A radio talk show is not off the record, Hugh.
HH: How did you pay the contractors in Iraq?
JZ: With cash.
HH: How much per contractor?
JZ: You know what, Hugh? You're not getting anywhere with this. What you're doing is you're trying to ambush me on a radio talk show. There was an agreement before we started, that there were some things that just were out of bounds. This is out of bounds.
HH: That wasn't covered, John.
JZ: You want to talk about the results?
HH: That wasn't covered.
JZ: Do you have a problem with the results?
HH: I'm going to methodology. We did not...
JZ: No, you don't. You're going to ideology, not methodology.
HH: No, I'm asking how much you paid the contractors...
JZ: Questions were asked fairly and honestly by a respected polling firm here, and on the ground in Iraq. That's all you need to know. You want to talk to me off the record, call me after your show, and I'll verify and document everything.
HH: That's fine. That's fine. I just...
JZ: Hugh, Hugh...
HH: ...that's not a security issue.
JZ: Congratulations, you got yourself a talk show. Good luck with it, but you're not talking about anything further with methodology.
HH: Then let me ask, who did you...
JZ: We had an agreement.
HH: You said in the media that the military has asked you to brief them on the poll.
JZ: Yes.
HH: Who asked you that?
JZ: I'm not going to talk to you about that. That is very, very private and off the record.
HH: Is it a senior officer?
JZ: You know what, Hugh? Where are you going with this?
HH: I'm trying to figure out whether it should be trusted, John.
JZ: I am a very patriotic American, and did a poll objectively...
HH: Of course you are. John...
JZ: I said that there are security reasons that we're not going to get into this.
HH: John, why would a...
JZ: Talk to the Vice President of the United States if you want to.
HH: Why would the identity of the military man who asked you talk about this be a security issue?
JZ: Because I don't like your attitude, Hugh. Do you want to talk about the results?
HH: No, I want to get...
JZ: Is there something with the poll that troubles you?
HH: Yes, there's a lot. Why were no demographics released?
JZ: All the demographics were indeed released, Hugh.
HH: Okay.
JZ: All of the demographics were released.
HH: How many of these...
JZ: You see, you've got to harden your facts before you harden your mind.
HH: Where is the racial and ethnic...
JZ: We released all of the demographics, all of them.
HH: Where are the racial and ethic groups statistics put forward?
JZ: All the racial characteristics, the branches...you know what, Hugh?
HH: Are those on your website?
JZ: I'm going to make an agreement with you right now. You get yourself better informed on this poll, and I'll come back on your show.
HH: John, I've got your entire thing here. You have not released the demographics.
JZ: You are clearly uninformed.
HH: You have not released the demographics.
JZ: (click)
HH: You have not...he hung up. He hung up. That's John Zogby, not a pollster.
End of interview.
Hear the interview here:
http://www.radioblogger.com/images/03-02zogby.mp3
Unfortunately, eveyrthing about the poll and the methodology used when conducting it is suspect. Here's a recent interview with Zogby. Let me know what you think.
A brief interview with John Zogby (by Hugh Hewitt)
RadioBlogger.com Thursday, March 2
HH: John Zogby, welcome to the Hugh Hewitt Show.
JZ: Hi, how are you?
HH: Good. John, your poll has created quite a lot of controversy out of Iraq. Who paid for it?
JZ: It was a gentleman who is a very wealthy individual who is anti-war, but he had absolutely no influence on any of the questions at all. He just simply wanted to know how do the troops feel? We have released the questions to everyone. The questions were very benign and objective. We're not accustomed to doing anything any other way.
HH: Has he commissioned polls from you before?
JZ: No.
HH: Did you got to Iraq to oversee the taking of the poll?
JZ: No, I personally did not. I've polled Iraq 14, 15 times, but I have a partner in the Middle East who does my Middle East polling. That's a standard procedure for those of us with global firms. We have partners overseas, some of us have franchises that actually conduct them.
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Hmm?
HH: Who is that partner?
JZ: Informational International.
HH: And did they send someone into Iraq to oversee it?
JZ: Yes, they did.
HH: Do you know who that was?
JZ: Yeah, employees of their own.
HH: Do you know which one?
JZ: Yeah. Does it mean anything to you?
HH: Yeah, I'd like to know.
JZ: What if I'd mention their names?
HH: I'd like that.
JZ: Well, I'm not going to mention them on the air for security reasons.
HH: They don't live in Iraq, though.
JZ: And Hugh, we made this clear to you that this was not polling Kansas, that there was security consideration. I have mentioned all the details and all the names to reporters that I trust, off the record, in an indication that the poll was honestly and objectively done. And obviously, I indicated to you and your producer beforehand, through Fritz Wenzel, our communications director, there were some thing we were just not going to discuss on the air.
HH: Right. But Information Interactive is not...
JZ: And I think your listeners understand that.
HH: Information Interactive is not an Iraqi, right?
JZ: Information International.
HH: Okay.
JZ: ...is Beirut-based, and it has offices throughout the Middle East.
HH: So did they use an Iraqi national or someone else to oversee the poll?
JZ: Hugh, do you suppose that an Iraqi national would be allowed to poll U.S. servicemen?
HH: I'm asking you. So the answer is no?
JZ: The answer is no.
HH: So why is there a security concern in telling me who the Lebanese gentleman is who oversaw the work in Iraq?
JZ: Because that's something that I won't discuss, because it comes under the provision that it's not something that you need to know.
HH: It would go to the credibility of the poll, wouldn't it, John?
JZ: Oh, it would not. No, no, no, I have given to reporters that I trust, I have given all of the details off the record. A radio talk show is not off the record, Hugh.
HH: How did you pay the contractors in Iraq?
JZ: With cash.
HH: How much per contractor?
JZ: You know what, Hugh? You're not getting anywhere with this. What you're doing is you're trying to ambush me on a radio talk show. There was an agreement before we started, that there were some things that just were out of bounds. This is out of bounds.
HH: That wasn't covered, John.
JZ: You want to talk about the results?
HH: That wasn't covered.
JZ: Do you have a problem with the results?
HH: I'm going to methodology. We did not...
JZ: No, you don't. You're going to ideology, not methodology.
HH: No, I'm asking how much you paid the contractors...
JZ: Questions were asked fairly and honestly by a respected polling firm here, and on the ground in Iraq. That's all you need to know. You want to talk to me off the record, call me after your show, and I'll verify and document everything.
HH: That's fine. That's fine. I just...
JZ: Hugh, Hugh...
HH: ...that's not a security issue.
JZ: Congratulations, you got yourself a talk show. Good luck with it, but you're not talking about anything further with methodology.
HH: Then let me ask, who did you...
JZ: We had an agreement.
HH: You said in the media that the military has asked you to brief them on the poll.
JZ: Yes.
HH: Who asked you that?
JZ: I'm not going to talk to you about that. That is very, very private and off the record.
HH: Is it a senior officer?
JZ: You know what, Hugh? Where are you going with this?
HH: I'm trying to figure out whether it should be trusted, John.
JZ: I am a very patriotic American, and did a poll objectively...
HH: Of course you are. John...
JZ: I said that there are security reasons that we're not going to get into this.
HH: John, why would a...
JZ: Talk to the Vice President of the United States if you want to.
HH: Why would the identity of the military man who asked you talk about this be a security issue?
JZ: Because I don't like your attitude, Hugh. Do you want to talk about the results?
HH: No, I want to get...
JZ: Is there something with the poll that troubles you?
HH: Yes, there's a lot. Why were no demographics released?
JZ: All the demographics were indeed released, Hugh.
HH: Okay.
JZ: All of the demographics were released.
HH: How many of these...
JZ: You see, you've got to harden your facts before you harden your mind.
HH: Where is the racial and ethnic...
JZ: We released all of the demographics, all of them.
HH: Where are the racial and ethic groups statistics put forward?
JZ: All the racial characteristics, the branches...you know what, Hugh?
HH: Are those on your website?
JZ: I'm going to make an agreement with you right now. You get yourself better informed on this poll, and I'll come back on your show.
HH: John, I've got your entire thing here. You have not released the demographics.
JZ: You are clearly uninformed.
HH: You have not released the demographics.
JZ: (click)
HH: You have not...he hung up. He hung up. That's John Zogby, not a pollster.
End of interview.
Hear the interview here:
http://www.radioblogger.com/images/03-02zogby.mp3
