[Preechr]

A bit of disclosure: I cannot stand Arianna. Not a bit. That being said, on this issue I could not agree with her more. I question things. That's just my nature. I wonder about things like... and this may come off as racist... why am I just expected to believe that the fact that John Zogby's brother runs CAIR has no influence on John Zogby's polls? How am I not supposed to be suspicious when Zogby's way early, unprecedented and totally unsupported calling of the primary race for Kerry... Which I remember being cited as one possible ingredient in Dean's sudden implosion. Zogby called the presidential competition for Kerry by a landslide over a month ago, if I recall correctly as well.

Additionally, it's a funny coincidence that I was discussing Venezuela's situation this afternoon with a guy from Panama that runs a business here in Atlanta now. He's got a degree in economics. He was trying to convince me that my read on Chavez was wrong. I've been placing much faith in the American polling firms exit-polling results, but Arrellano has friends in Venezuela that aren't neccessarily pro or anti-Chavez that are telling him how the polling was flawed because it didn't accurately penetrate the poorest parts of the country that comprise a fair chunk of populist Chavez' base. I'll buy that, I suppose. My friend has the advantage of being able to read more first-person accounts about the situation than just what gets translated for the Miami Herald, so I suppose I'll have to defer to him on this one...