Winning the Long War =/ Getting Elected Homecoming Queen

An excellent WaPo article from last month by Gary Anderson (H/T TPMB):

Why… are we supposedly losing the information war in the Muslim world, and why has there not been more of an outcry among Muslims over this slaughter of innocents? A big part of the reason is that we spend too much time wanting to be liked rather than turning Muslim anger on our enemies.

Exactly. This is not a popularity contest (which implies we’re trying to get people to like us).

If I were directing the U.S. strategic information campaign, I would spend my dollars on collecting photos of the Muslim innocents al-Qaeda has killed and putting below them quotations from the Koran decrying such practices.

The goal is to fracture al-Qaeda’s narrative and fold them back in upon themselves. Keep America out of it.