You know, I really dislike political ideologues and partisans. But I do think that there is something that we can learn from them. I do not have a COIN fetish, but I do recognize the great importance of public perception in Iraq and Afghanistan (and the Arab and Muslim world, in general) and observing the antics of douche bags in this country helps to shed some light on how we can do better.

Think about the slanted stories on Pan-Arab satellite news channels (and even al-Jazeera English). Many of these stories border on the absurd, but they are still regarded as news. I remember watching a news cast with my interpreter in Iraq that reported something about the Mossad and US SF working together to kill a bunch of innocent people in a mosque for no particular reason. I asked him if people really believed it. At first, he said, "of course." Recognizing the Arab tendency to exaggerate, I pressed on and finally he admitted, "well, we don't really believe it, but it makes us feel better to hear the news echoing our frustration." This begged the question: "but you still consider it news?" Yes. There was a lot of back and forth as I attempted to make sense of why something so clearly fabricated would resonate as news. Finally, it hit me. They're no different than Americans.

Look at how many people in this country watch MSNBC, CNN, FOX, and network news. Look at how many people read the Huffington Post, Free Republic, Daily Kos, Redstate, and so on. Look at how many people listen to talk radio. None of that is really news (well, I guess some of the online content is just users posting news stories, but largely so that a bunch of dumbasses can then weigh in with their worthless opinions). Those stations/sites are not news. They are just echo chambers for people with a particular viewpoint - people who do not want to hear their views challenged or expand their perspectives. They just want more ammunition to attack their political opponents: scandals, insults, rumors, accusations, dirty laundry, et cetera. And those stations/sites seek to draw those viewers/readers/listeners in because it helps to drum up angst and motivate people to act upon their emotions.

This is not just something that only works on dumb people. Witness a couple recent posts by Bernard Finel. He's a smart guy - certainly smarter than me. But I suspect he watches a lot of cable news and/or reads a lot of online nonsense (or maybe he just spends too much time in DC) because he seems to think that Sarah Palin is going to run for President, have a chance of getting the nomination, and have a shot at winning. Nobody could believe that unless they spent hours and hours watching left-leaning douche bags try to whip up fear and discontent among left-leaning viewers and watchers. On the other side of the aisle, I know folks on the right who are convinced - CONVINCED - that the President wants to turn this country into an economically and militarily weak nation. I mean, they believe that in the literal sense. And I know why they believe this. When I am driving around in the afternoon, I hear douche bags on the radio saying those exact things (right-wing pretty much has a monopoly on the radio airwaves - except for a glorious couple hours in the morning when I can listen to Don Imus).

I have never been so pessimistic as to say that we are "losing the information war" in Iraq or Afghanistan (partly because that phrase means nothing, but partly because I know what people think it means and I disagree with their sentiments). However, I do think that we can do better. And if we want to do better, we need to stop pontificating about doctrine and start taking lessons from the political ideologues in our own country. These scumbags, while they do immeasurable harm to our democracy at home, may hold the key to success in our military adventures. These people are masters at instilling fear and hate, getting people to act upon it, causing widespread havoc, and taking none of the blame. Fricken brilliant.