Troops support Bush 4-1

The top news item in the current issues of Air Force Times, Army Times, Marine Corps Times and Navy Times (all accessible to subscribers only) is about a survey of more than 4000 troops conducted September 15-18. According to USA Today, the results are as follows:

73% said they would vote for Bush if the election were held today; 18% said they would vote for Kerry.

That's more than four to one for Bush.

Army Times Publishing cautions that the poll is not scientific in part because the papers' readers are "older, higher in rank and more career-oriented than the military as a whole." But that puts in fairly stark perspective Kerry's attempts to name a few former generals who support his campaign.

The USA Today link comes via Chrenkoff, who comments:

Looks like a pretty convincing vote of confidence from those who actually put their lives on the line. These people are professionals, of course they will serve whoever gets elected this November, but there's little doubt whom they trust more to lead them.

Interestingly, I see no mention of the poll in the New York Times. If the results had shown the military supporting Kerry, the only question would have been whether the Times editors would have put the story above or below the fold on the first page.

Update: The Mudville Gazette, a military blog, points out that Kerry is trailing Al Gore who lost the military vote to Bush 2-1 in 2000.