I'm perfectly alright with someone disliking Kid A. I'm not alright with it being dismissed with such terms as "abstract noodling." It's very much "music," it very much has "songs." I've heard it far more times than I could possibly remember, and I can assure you that it was worth all the time I spent with it. Only a select few albums can draw you into its spell the way Kid A does, changing your mood, reflecting its lyrics with textures and hues that enhance every word, and generally being one of the most unique and engrossing listening experiences you can have with an album.
At the same time though, yes, it is challenging, and yes, it is slow in spots. Paul McGuinness probably hates it, but that's all the more reason to hear it.
Also, it's silly to think that Radiohead was "doing a Zooropa" as if that particular record precipitated Kid A somehow. Boards of Canada, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, Stars of the Lid, etc. probably had far more to do with the creation of that record than anything U2 has done.