# 1 in 2 Americans believes Saddam was behind 9/11. What's the source? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 20, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704 "2003-01-20T00:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Florentine\_Pogen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@Florentine\_Pogen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Florentine_Pogen)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/1 "2003-01-20T00:07:08Z")
The above was quoted in the following article that appeared in the Times newspaper last Wednesday. The article states that these figures come from a “recent poll”: > **[The Times & The Sunday Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/)** > > News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times MSNBC provided a link to the article the next day and on Friday I heard Chris Matthews use the same figures while listening to an-all news radio station. Problem is I can’t seem to find any poll that asked Americans anything about Saddam and 9/11. I did a search on Google and all the resulting links reference the Times article. Has anybody got the dope on the orgins of these numbers? ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/2 "2003-01-20T00:21:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Now 88 per cent of Americans want the war, we are told. I’d like to see that poll too. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/3 "2003-01-20T00:28:11Z")
That number seems high - [http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr030113.asp](http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr030113.asp) this is the most recent poll I could find on the subject, and it says a small majority of Americans want war with Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/4 "2003-01-20T00:38:03Z")
1 in 2 Americans? That’s pretty orwellian. The CIA said outright that Hussein isn’t connected to Al-Qaeda, and in fact considers them to be an enemy. Bush has pushed the “Saddam was behind 9-11” through nothing more than _argumentam ad assertum ad infinitum_ (i.e., the Big Lie,) and people seem to have swallowed it. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/5 "2003-01-20T00:47:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ben \* > \*\*1Bush has pushed the “Saddam was behind 9-11” through nothing more than _argumentam ad assertum ad infinitum_ (i.e., the Big Lie,) and people seem to have swallowed it. \*\* Do you have cite where Bush said Saddam was behind 9/11? ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/6 "2003-01-20T01:06:32Z")
Well. There are some rebuttals to Mr. Le Carre. > **[The Times & The Sunday Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/)** > > News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times thanks for the link **DreadCthulhu**. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/7 "2003-01-20T02:25:29Z")
Well, I found this, for the “88 per cent of Americans want the war”. [http://senrs.com/us\_lines\_up\_support\_for\_confrontation\_with\_iraq.htm](http://senrs.com/us_lines_up_support_for_confrontation_with_iraq.htm) > [@](#): > > U.S. lines up support for confrontation with Iraq > > WASHINGTON, February 12, 2002 > > At home, Bush can expect strong support for war with Iraq, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll conducted over the weekend. In the survey of 1,001 adults, 82% agreed with Bush that Iraq is “evil,” and 88% said it is important to remove Saddam from power. Maybe he’s just misremembering the factoid “…important to remove Saddam from power” as “…want the war”. And I found this, for “A recent poll tells us that one in two Americans now believe Saddam was responsible for the attack on the World Trade Centre.” [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2269845.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2269845.stm) > [@](#): > > Friday, 20 September, 2002, 06:24 GMT 07:24 UK > US press sceptical of Iraq action > > …The American public, at least 53% of them in a Gallup poll in August, believe that Saddam Hussein was “personally involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.” So apparently it’s not that “recent” a poll. (The relevant poll appears to be in the Gallup Premium subscriber area, so I can’t get at it.) ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/8 "2003-01-20T05:05:14Z")
Chris Mathews indeed mentioned it recently to display his shock at how the administration has not only not made a legit case to the public, but has in fact misled them into thinking Saddam played a part in 9/11. Wonder what’s going on here with the dates. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/9 "2003-01-20T12:55:21Z")
Sick. 1 in 2 Americans don’t even question the State’s word - even when it’s only a vague mention, and not even something that’s fleshed out. I’d hate to think how many Americans automatically trust the State’s word when they have good, well-fleshed-out propoganda. ---
**Author:** ![royjwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@royjwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/royjwood)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/10 "2003-01-20T13:25:53Z")
One key point here is that in many of the polls, the questions are asked in such a manner to support one specific issue. Instead of asking which is better: war or no war. The question may be phrased, “which would you prefer: Saddam rape your little sister and torture your father to death or a war against Iraq?” Obviously, I have exagerated just a little bit. But the truth still remains that the questions are most often phrased in a specific way as well as the answers made available, to support a specific viewpoint. So that the results are always a little bit useless. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/11 "2003-01-20T20:10:59Z")
The question in the [53% poll from August](http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq3.htm) was: > [@](#): > > “Do you think Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the September 11th terrorist attacks, or not?” You can have a field day with that site, they have exact poll question wording and multiple polls on a given subject. In my quick look, that seems to have been the last time they asked that particular question. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/12 "2003-01-20T21:47:48Z")
If the poll was conducted last August, then it would appear that Chris Mathews is the one who has misled the public. I too, am curious about the specific wording of this poll. Seems dishonest. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/13 "2003-01-21T20:47:32Z")
For other reasons, Matthews is on the Top Ten List for the [Media Whores Online](http://www.mediawhoresonline.com) 2002 Whore of the Year. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/14 "2003-01-21T21:00:34Z")
Some polls make an effort to combat wording issues by switching it up: Person A is asked, “Do you like cheddar or swiss?” Person B is asked, “Do you like swiss or cheddar?” Same with the order of the questions. I don’t know the specific polling methods used here, but I wouldn’t automatically dismiss any poll’s results just because wording can, in some cases, influence results from specific poll questions. Reputable polling groups do their best to be fair and avoid conflict of interest. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/15 "2003-01-21T21:23:19Z")
Well you see, it’s all how you word the questions. Does Saddam support terrorism? Without a doubt. Does he hate the USA? Again- doubtless. So- does he support- in principle- terrorism vs the USA? Yes. Did he have anything to do with 9-11? Besides generally supporting a way of life in which such acts are not only condoned, but supported- not likely. So- MAYBE if Saddam had not been out there supporting terrorism in general- then PERHAPS 9-11 would not have happened. IS Saddam Evil? Without a doubt. Would the world be better without him? Seems like it. Would I support “military action” to remove him? I think so. BUT- I am not in favor of a “land war”, unless we get a lot more solid evidence than we have. And I think most Americans think like I do. Having a “smart bomb” blow up a “weapon of mass destruction”, some military target or even Saddam himself is one thing- sending in troops is another. Maving troops mass to scare the bejesus out of Saddam- sure. Actually sending in the Marines? I don’t think so. So- do i support the Adminstration? Well- since the marines haven’t actually landed- yes, more or less. Remember, threats & saber rattling are not the same as actual invasion. Cleary. Saddam does not respond to anything but naked threats & aggression. Diplomacy & just talking isn’t going to do it. However, it SEEMS like threats will. He’s a bully- he responds to such things. Let’s hope that threats alone will do it. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Gui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@El\_Gui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Gui)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2003, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-in-2-americans-believes-saddam-was-behind-9-11-whats-the-source/149704/16 "2003-01-22T11:55:04Z")
Although the first question is a bit different from what the OP discusses, this is from a Knight Ridder poll conducted on Jan. 3-6, 2003. Scroll down and its located near the middle of this page: [http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm](http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm) “Do you think Iraq and Al Queda . . . are allied and working together to plan new acts of terrorism, or not?” % Are allied 65 Are not 16 Don’t know 19 “As far as you know, how many of the September 11th terrorist hijackers were Iraqi citizens: most of them, some of them, just one, or none?” % Most of them 21 Some of them 23 Just one 6 None 17 Don’t know 33 (correct answer is “none”, yes?)