What World Do Republicans Live in?

Friday on Air America's O'Franken Report, Al Franken hosted Joe Conason and they talked about this latest poll from the University of Maryland. (This was also discussed at the Votemaster's Electoral Vote Webpage). The poll is remarkable for it documents that large majorities of Republicans believe:

1. That Iraq offered significant assistance to Al Qaeda and was involved in the 9/11 attacks
2. That the 9/11 Commission found this to be true
3. That there were WMD in Iraq
4. That the Duelfer Report found this to be true
5. That the US should not have gone to war if US intelligence services had found that Iraq had no WMD
6. That a majority of the world does not oppose the US invasion of Iraq -- that is right does not
7. That a majority of the people in the world support Bush's reelection
8. That a majority of people in Islamic countries support the US war on terror (smaller majority)
9. That Bush support multilateral approaches to international relations
10. That Bush supports the Kyoto Treaty on global warming

The only word to explain such opinions is cognitive dissonance. When the facts don't agree with what you feel is right, you adjust you understanding of the facts. Bush supporters wish that these things were true since it would support their support of Bush. The only way to reconcile the conflict is to believe they are true. You can learn more about the study by clicking here.