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Originally Posted by Kobuchi
Wikipedia: astroturfing
Example: Aljazeera: Lebanese march to back Syrian troops
Contrast Ukraine's city of orange tents.
The Bush policy regarding people power is "consistent" - the voices inharmonious with his interests aren't heard. The majority of Iraqis surveyed by a CNN/ABC News sponsored Gallup poll responded yes the US and its allies should leave immediately, even if it means the security situation will deteriorate. A nihilist majority? Then there are the optimists who believe the situation will improve after US forces leave. Is the Bush admin "speaking up" about the overwhelming popular will of all those people? On the contrary, it confidently predicts the elected government of Iraq "will invite" US forces to remain.
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I have a Gallup account and I have attempted to find that poll, However, I did find these polls.
Let us look at some intellectually honest ground truth per Gallup.
Gallup, in partnership with CNN and USA Today, conducted 3,444 70-minute, in-home, in-person interviews with a nationally representative sample of Iraqis in 350 separate locations throughout the country in late March and early April 2004. The resulting data offer a wealth of insight on the current climate of opinion among Iraqis nationwide.
"While 61% of all Iraqis believe that Saddam Hussein's ouster was "worth" any hardships they have personally suffered since the invasion, opinion is sharply divided on whether the country itself is better off. Forty-two percent believe the country is in a better situation than before the invasion (31% "somewhat better off," 11% "much better off"), but nearly as many (39%) hold a contrary assessment (24% "somewhat worse off," 15% "much worse off"). Similarly, the third of Iraqis (33%) who say the coalition invasion of Iraq has "done more good than harm" are offset by a larger proportion (46%) who say that thus far, the invasion has "done more harm than good."
Furthermore, sentiment often divides sharply along ethnic and sectarian lines. For example, members of Iraq's Kurdish minority are overwhelmingly likely (87%) to view the country as better off now (somewhat: 51%, much: 36%). However, only a third of Iraq's ethnic Arabs (33%) share this positive appraisal (somewhat better off: 27%, much better off: 5%).
Similarly, perspectives and perceptions in overwhelmingly Sunni areas* can differ dramatically from those in strongly Shiite areas**. One particularly stark example is the fact that nearly three-quarters (74%) of those in overwhelmingly Shiite provinces and neighborhoods believe that the ouster of Hussein was "worth" any subsequent hardships, while only about a quarter (28%) of those in heavily Sunni areas share this assessment. "
"Hopes, Dreams, and Fears
When Gallup asked Iraqis to articulate their hopes for the future, a basic desire for security easily topped the list of replies.
Nearly half (47%) of the 3,444 Iraqis interviewed volunteered a desire for stability and security as their greatest dream. This percentage is significantly larger than the 20% who hope that the country will develop to a standard equivalent of that in other advanced countries, or the 16% who wish for a democratic form of government.
Somewhat smaller percentages of Iraqis referred to their desire for coalition forces to leave Iraq (13%) , for the country to be free, sovereign, and independent (12%), and for the future to be one of unity and cooperation between the country's sectarian and ethnic groups (9%)."
That hardly sounds like a people whom are glib about their collective security.
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Originally Posted by Kobuchi
As for his own own shaky support, President Bush observes, "When you win, there is a feeling that people have spoken and embraced your point of view", and vows, "I've earned capital in this election and I'm going to spend it". Imagine if Yanukovych had claimed such endorsement at his own election.
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Bush won honestly in both the electoral collage and the popular vote. This is not disputed in the US or Internationally. He did earn some political capital that normally happens when any elected politician wins; I fail to see the equivalence.