"THEY" Don't have a clue about what they want.

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of American Catholics can not help but to again raise question; what are 'they' thinking. According to this poll, on a number the major issues facing the Catholic Church in the US, a change in policy is needed.

78% want papal approval of Birth Control

63% want to allow Priest to marry

59% want some easing of stem cell research restrictions

55% want to allow women to become priests

There is an even a split on the issue of allowing divorce


Yet, Fifty-nine percent of this same group say they want the next Pope to be like John-Paul II, a man who opposed all of the desired changes. This leaves you asking, do they really understand what they say they want. Where is the logic in wanting change, but wanting a Pope who will refuse to allow, much less, champion the very changes you claim to want.

The poll sample was small, only about two hundred and fifty people. Just looking at the results can not always capture what the respondents were actually meaning. Many could want a pope who was as loving and strong and faithful as John-Paul, but want one who also supports their desired change. That said, we are still left with an amazing, but not unusual contradiction.

Last fall, there were a couple of new PIPA (The Program on International Policy Attitudes) reports put out. They looked at the perception verses reality on the war in Iraq and other policy issues related to the election.

Here is one bit of one, from NewsHounds

Even after the final report of Charles Duelfer to Congress saying that Iraq did not have a significant WMD program, 72% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq had actual WMD (47%) or a major program for developing them (25%). Fifty-six percent assume that most experts believe Iraq had actual WMD and 57% also assume, incorrectly, that Duelfer concluded Iraq had at least a major WMD program. Kerry supporters hold opposite beliefs on all these points.

Similarly, 75% of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, and 63% believe that clear evidence of this support has been found. Sixty percent of Bush supporters assume that this is also the conclusion of most experts, and 55% assume, incorrectly, that this was the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission. Here again, large majorities of Kerry supporters have exactly opposite perceptions.

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This tendency of Bush supporters to ignore dissonant information extends to other realms as well. Despite an abundance of evidence--including polls conducted by Gallup International in 38 countries, and more recently by a consortium of leading newspapers in 10 major countries--only 31% of Bush supporters recognize that the majority of people in the world oppose the US having gone to war with Iraq. Forty-two percent assume that views are evenly divided, and 26% assume that the majority approves. Among Kerry supporters, 74% assume that the majority of the world is opposed.

So many of those supporting Bush appear to just be unaware of the facts. On other topics the reports indicated that some of those who supported Bush assumed he held positions they supported, when the actual bush policy is vastly different. Last October, .Washington Monthly looked at this as has some good examples is a chart.

Sometimes 'they' just don't appear real bright