Zogby '95 percent' sure of 650,000 Iraqi death toll (CNN video)

[Starfury]

Expert pollster John Zogby is "95 percent certain" that around 650,000 Iraqis civilians have died since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. A new study by Iraqi physicians and Americans from Johns Hopkins University polled 1,800 Iraqis to calculate an approximate number of casualties since the beginning of the war.

In an interview on CNN International, Zogby explains that the methodology used in the study is very reliable. "The methodology, from what I've seen of the survey, is quite good," he remarked. He is also in agreement with the study's estimate of 650,000 casualties, saying, "I can't vouch for it 100 percent, but I'll vouch for it 95 percent, which is as good as it gets in survey research."

At a press conference earlier in the day, President Bush said that he did not agree with the study's results, saying, "I think that methodology has been pretty well discredited."

A transcript of John Zogby's interview with CNN International follows the video.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_Expert_Zogby_95_sure_of_1011.html

(CNN International, not CNN, of course. Apologies if this has already been posted.)

[rodeodance]

1. take that JR>

[rodeodance]

2. gotta wonder who the WH statistians are!

.......At a press conference earlier in the day, President Bush said that he did not agree with the study's results, saying, "I think that methodology has been pretty well discredited."

[Starfury]

3. WH uses Faith-based Statistics....

Repeat a lie often enough and people will begin to believe it.

[Lindacooks]

4. Yeah, the chimp questioned the methodology, but of course

didn't offer any methodology of the WH to refute it. That's the repuke way - dismiss it with no alternatives or solutions.

[leesa]

5. I heard the Pentagon Spokespinner on Big Ed's show at work and she

was, of course saying how dubious it was, etc, and she said how doubtful it was that any of these people would be able to produce death certificates. Randi Rhodes had one of the guys who did the survey on the day before and he said he was amazed that they had 92% death certificate confirmation. People would be able to go into their houses to get them. He said it would be easy for reporters to confirm the survey, at least grossly, by interviewing the local morgue death rate changes.

[gulliver]

6. Just like the meeting with Atta was "pretty well" confirmed.

Bush is channeling Cheney.

Or is that a commonplace?

[texpatriot2004]

7. I believe Zogby nm

[al bupp]

8. Les Roberts one of the reports' authors, speaking on Democracy Now!

Said that, while the widely cited figure of 650,000, due to the difficulties involved in conducting surveys during wartime, is far from precise, he's 95% certain that the true number is somewhere between 400,000 and 950,000. Even taking the low-end figure that's almost an order of magnitude greater than "official" estimates.

The simple fact is that they have no way to dispute the report other than vague hand-waving about its "credibility". Now if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is.

If one hasn't, I suggest that they read the interview:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/12/145222

[indepat]

9. Those who still support this cabal don't give a flying f-word if 400,000

or 4 million imo.