I agree that having a political op-ed published in a major newspaper is evidence that you understand politics, I don't think it's tremendously strong evidence

I agree it's not tremendously strong evidence. Having multiple op-eds published in multiple papers, as I have, provides more evidence, of course.

If you write something that will appeal to the paper's readers, or that will arouse controversy and draw in readers (or, online, clicks on advertisements), then that may be all they care about. There is some pretty stupid stuff published in major newspapers.

Yup, there is stupid stuff, but it's most often by specific writers who they know and specifically frame as controversial, for example a prisoner on a hunger strike in California. They generally don't publish stupid stuff by people who are positioned as experts. Papers do have a reputation to uphold.

I'm glad you took the opportunity to skim my papers. My writing is highly varied depending on the audiences for whom I'm writing. Unfortunately, op-eds have to be a certain kind of format that is not given to the kind of precise and carefully-argued style in which I would much rather prefer to write. Pieces I specifically write for LW are also written in a more rigorous style, although not the level I would write for a peer-reviewed journal.

I hear you about "ISIS would love to see" - this was a rhetorical maneuver. It's one of those stylistic things needed to get an op-ed published, as I learned over much trial and error. While "love" is rhetorical, the bigger point still stands. ISIS has specifically described its goal as attacking the notion that Muslims and non-Muslims can live together, and specifically aims its attacks to result in creating a hostile environment for Muslims in western countries so that they would turn to ISIS.