Excuse me, but what "meaning" could possibly come out of a presidential straw poll taken of 1,427 Republicans at a party conference some 650 days, give or take, before the 2008 Iowa caucuses? We haven't even had the '06 midterm elections yet, for gosh sakes, and we're paying attention to straw polls on whom the GOP will pick two years hence? Hello?
Ummm, because it's a really, really easy story to do, and it automatically generates other stories about those who agree and disagree with the prognosis.
The feature examines statements made by Minnesota politicians and checks them for accuracy. Based on data analysis, document reviews and interviews with non-partisan analysts, statements are rated either true, false or inconclusive. PoliGraph is a collaboration between Minnesota Public Radio News and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
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