I must say that I find this discussin a bit artificial. LT's last example illustrates this nicely (but he is certainly not the only guildy one) as 6.a4, 6.Be2 and 6.g3 against the Najdorf are very positional indeed. Not to mention that the tactics in the Najdorf are dominantly defensive in nature, not attacking.
On a more profound level we should wonder how tactical the KID sacs really are. That ...Nxe4 sac by Kasparov on the previous page is more about correctly evaluating the resulting position that about accuarate calculation. In extremis we can maintain that all tactics have a positional component as sound tactics by definition are directed against a weakness in the position of the opponent.
So if I take the OP's question as "Is the KID an opening for a pure tactician (aka coffehouse chessplayer)?" I'd say no. The Classical Dutch (except the Stonewall) offers a better opportunity), exactly because it tends to be positionally much simpler. At the other hand the KID obviously increases the chances to get dynamic play compared to the QGD (with 3...Nf6) , even when the Tartakower is a bit underestimated in this respect. When the question is which defense gives more chances to start a kingside attack, the Lasker Defense of the QGD or the KID I call it an open door.

ErictheRed wrote on 01/14/19 at 04:07:12:
You just described my experience. But I don't consider my youth entirely misspent. I did learn a few things, such as:

• That I am not in fact a dynamic player like Kasparov.
• How to sometimes get an advantage with white against the KID.
• How to handle certain openings which have possibilities of reaching KID-like play, e.g. the KIA, Closed Sicilian, Leningrad Dutch.
• Enough KID theory to still play it occasionally, particularly if I can move-order white out of their usual variation, or if I notice they don't play their usual variation very well.

nocteus wrote on 12/28/18 at 11:07:24:
You forgot Tal! There were also some universal players: Fischer, Gligoric, and Najdorf for instance. Smyslov and Petrosian were more positional players and not known for the King's Indian, but they would play it sometimes. Larsen didn't like it at all but would still play it occasionally. 

nocteus wrote on 12/28/18 at 11:07:24:
I think the popularity of these bridge-burning lines with books is because checkmate sells. And their popularity with masters is because the current engines on consumer hardware can still mis-evaluate them. A player of Kramnik's calibre is not going to follow the computer down the rabbit-hole, but lazy white preparers who lean on the spacebar too much are going to be punished. Of course to score in this way black also needs to be very well prepared. And it's risky. Kasparov had something interesting to say about why he gave up the King's Indian, you can read it here: https://en.chessbase.com/post/three-draws-before-the-final-rest-day . I foresee the day when computers are just too strong, and the Mar del Plata variation will be written off -- not because it is so bad, but because it will be too easy for white to prepare, and the risk/reward becomes too unfavourable for black.

nocteus wrote on 12/28/18 at 11:07:24:
Well, first of all, in the blocked oblique pawn structure (e4/d5 vs e5/d6)  the bad piece is the one on g7, so that's worrying. On the other hand, the King's Indian is certainly sound and logical. It is also very useful as a winning try against some overly-cautious whites. Computers are showing more and more openings end up 0.00 with best play, and if you carefully examine some of the old "forgotten" lines there are probably many that could be rehabilitated, at least towards equality. 

Just as one example, in Dangerous Weapons they give this strange line: 
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 O-O 6.Nf3 e5 7.O-O Nbd7 8.Be3 Re8!? 9.d5 Nh5 
9...Ng4 is the old move, e.g. Gligoric - Geller, Monaco 1967 http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1049259 , and see Barden, Hartston, and Keene (1973) The King's Indian Defence, pg.230-231 
10.g3 Bf8! (their exclamation mark) Gelfand - Radjabov, Corus 2008 http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1482382

Not 100% convincing, but we get the impression that there is more than one way to play the King's Indian.

ErictheRed wrote on 12/31/18 at 17:09:45:

This is a bit confused. The bishop doesn't just need to be on e7 in the Old Indian; it is on e7 by definition. If it's not, it simply isn't an Old Indian (unless you're using the Russian naming convention where the King's Indian is called Староиндийская защита meaning "Old Indian Defense").

Palliser's book is on a different defense, the Czech Benoni, which Black can play with the bishop on either e7 or g7. The Old Indian can transpose to a Czech Benoni structure with ...Be7, but they're still considered separate defenses.

GM Eugene Pereshtein had a Chess.com series on the KID. He emphasized ...Na6. I no longer have a paid account, but I remember he had a black squared strategy vs. white's fianchetto. It seemed to be a strategical system.

For me, the quintessential King's Indian variation is the Mar Del Plata line. However, I think a good player playing patiently should be able to turn ...Nbd7, ...e5 into a weapon. Even if the books and engines find white to be "better" at some point in the opening, it may not be easy for a human to make progress as white. Heck, black can even play the Old Indian, but I think g6-Bg7 adds a kick.

Yeah, I feel as though the King's Indian is an opening where, the positional factors tend to be on White's side, so Black's obliged to make it messy if he wants to avoid being squeezed (in general).

nocteus wrote on 12/29/18 at 13:57:48:

I don't understand them fully either, but it's not just one plan. Black is keeping several options open: He may still play a Czech Benoni structure, capture on d4, meet a White d4-d5 with ...Nc5, or keep the tension in the centre for a while. White for his part can play d4-d5, exchange on e5, keep the tension or even sometimes break with c4-c5. So both sides need to take many possible pawn structure changes into account in the opening/early middlegame.

nocteus wrote on 12/29/18 at 13:57:48:

People write all kinds of things when they're trying to sell an opening