Luntz Gets His Lumps

Pollster Frank Luntz "is crying foul after MSNBC canceled his long-scheduled focus group two days before the debate. ... 'I think they buckled to political pressure,' says Luntz, who has advised Republicans from Newt Gingrich to Rudy Giuliani." An MSNBC spokesperson said the decision "had nothing to do with Frank's past work or politics." The liberal group Media Matters for America had urged MSNBC not to include Luntz in their debate coverage, due to his "partisan Republican ties and history of questionable scientific methodology." But Luntz, who went ahead with the focus groups, concluded, "Bush had already lost the debate after just the first 15 minutes."