US officials: Al-Qaida unpopular and 'imploding'

That's not how it works, though, is it? Popularity is a metric more useful for laundry detergents, cheerleader squads and revolution. Terrorists, the real kind as opposed to the bogeymen propped up by the current administration, really don't care what anybody thinks except the targets. And by definition, the targeter is not going to be popular with the target. Remember, that by target, I mean those in power who cannot be attacked directly. The people who are blown up have very little to do with it at all.

Does Dell Dailey (Is this a pseudonym? Did someone actually name their kid Dell?) really imagine an exchange like this:

Terrorist With Doubts About Violent Methods: Jeez, Grainger, did we really have to blow up the entire market? I was going to get some pistachios.
Terrorist Without Doubts About Violent Methods: Farley, it was agreed at the Wednesday meeting that we were going to blow up the whole market. You could have got them yesterday.
TwDAVM: People are going to think we don't care about collateral damage.
Tw/oDAVM: It's a big crater, all right. Maybe you have a point. Could it be that we have been given bad advice about how to effect change?

Because that's absurd. If there was any discussion, it was more along these lines:

TwDAVM: Mother of God, that's a big crater! I bet that car flew 30 metres.
Tw/oDAVM: That'll make them think twice about imposing their blasphemous hedonism on us.
TwDAVM: Got any smokes?
Tw/oDAVM: Darn it, I was going to get some yesterday.
TwDAVM: Same time next week, then?
Tw/oDAVM: God willing!