New poll reveals that majority of GOP base believes that the King is still alive.

Excerpts from Knight Ridder Newspapers from the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

A large majority of President Bush's supporters continue to believe that Iraq either had weapons of mass destruction (47 percent) or a major program to develop them (25 percent), contrary to official findings, a survey taken this month found.

And three out of four Bush backers believe Saddam Hussein provided substantial support to al-Qaeda or was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, while 56 percent said the Sept. 11 Commission found such ties.

In reality, the commission found "no collaborative relationship" between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

To support the president and to accept that he took the United States to war based on mistaken assumptions is difficult to bear, especially in light of the continuing costs in terms of lives and money," [a person familiar with the poll] said.

"Apparently, to avoid this cognitive dissonance, Bush supporters suppress awareness of unsettling information."

While 85 percent of Bush backers think the United States made the right decision to go to war against Iraq, only 8 percent of Kerry backers agree.

Thomas Mann, an author and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the findings are "consistent with a pattern of results that demonstrate how partisan lenses shape perceptions of reality.

"On Iraq, Republicans want to believe the best of Bush, Democrats the worst," Mann said.
_______________

I fail to see the big deal here. I mean, you know, I still believe in the tooth fairy.

And besides, I try to find positive in things, you know, as in the optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole.

I think the poll indicates progress among the GOP base. At least it doesn't agree that the world is flat just because the cowboy says it is.