ABC News/Washington Post Libby Indictment Two-Nighter Poll, October 2005

This special topic poll, conducted October 28-29, 2005, is
part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public
opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social
issues. The focus of this poll was to ascertain the feelings and
opinions of respondents surveyed about the federal grand jury's
indictment of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, chief of staff for Vice President
Dick Cheney. Libby was indicted on charges of obstruction of justice
and perjury in connection with the case in which the identity of an
undercover Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent was disclosed to
news reporters. Respondents were asked if the charges against Libby
represented a serious crime, or just a minor/technical one, and
whether the prosecution's case was based on facts or political
motivations. Given what respondents had read and heard concerning the
involvement of President George W. Bush, Karl Rove (advisor to the
president) and Vice President Cheney, they were queried on whether any
of these men did anything wrong in connection with the case and
whether their actions were considered illegal or unethical, but not
illegal. Respondents were also asked if they approved of the way in
which President Bush was handling his presidency and of the general
ethical issues in government. Demographic variables include political
party affiliation, age, gender, and the percentage of respondents that
were Black, Hispanic, and Asian.