The Israelis have claimed that a ship, the Francop, that their forces boarded near Cyprus originated in Iran and was shipping arms to terrorists.

And they somehow knew which ship, or they intercept all shipping, and once they board - things are in their exclusive custody and control. I know I lacked any way to verify their claims.

Now Juan Cole has a question.

Do you suppose their current naval military might have been taught tactics by our guys from the sixties who were patrolling Gulf of Tonkin, aka Tonkin Bay?

One of the Navy pilots flying overhead that night was squadron commander James Stockdale, who gained fame later as a POW and then Ross Perot's vice presidential candidate. "I had the best seat in the house to watch that event," recalled Stockdale a few years ago, "and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets — there were no PT boats there.... There was nothing there but black water and American fire power."

In 1965, Lyndon Johnson commented: "For all I know, our Navy was shooting at whales out there."

See, also, this link. Also, here and here.

Not that governments lie, but who did sink the Lusitania?

Few of us remain who might claim to have witnessed that incident.