Heritage Foundation Making Stuff Up About Attack On Flotilla

The Heritage Foundation's blog (The Foundry) is run by complete know-nothings.

Case in point: A post today by James Carafano, who the Heritage Foundation lists as "one of the nation's leading experts in defense and homeland security," makes the case that the Taliban might, like Hamas, provoke an attack in order to gain international sympathy.  It is typical Heritage claptrap in that it links two wholly unrelated issues in the Muslim world as somehow one and the same.  The post is so nonsensical it's hard to imagine that someone, let alone an expert on the issue, actually sat behind a computer screen and wrote it.

Carafano's argument is simple.  The flotilla that Israel attacked in international waters was "set-up by Hamas to provoke an incident that would draw intense criticism on Israel."  For absolutely no reason whatsoever, he speculates that the "Taliban has every reason to try the same tactic by launching a successful attack on US soil."

Here is how Carafano explains it:

From the Taliban perspective this has to be good news. If they can pull off an attack, the US will attack Pakistan-that will bring criticism from around the world and likely as not rioting in Pakistan-what could be better. UN Officials are already calling for a halt to Predator strikes (even though s [sic] recent strike reportedly kille [sic] the number three leader in al Qaeda) and they will likely have a cow after the US starts carpet-bombing the Pakistan countryside. The Taliban will then be just as much of the international "victim" media darlings as Hamas.

None of this makes even the slightest sense.  The flotilla was trying to break an illegal and internationally condemned blockade on Gaza.  Yesterday, another Heritage expert called the blockade an "arms embargo."  It's not.  The blockade against Gaza includes a prohibition against things such as nutmeg, goats, newspapers, canned fruit, fabric and musical instruments.  How do you keep Israel safe by keeping ukuleles out of Gaza?

It's true that the international community has condemned Israel's attack on the flotilla.  But what evidence is there that the attack was provoked by Hamas?  None.  Carafano's argument rests on pure speculation.

Furthermore, how would a U.S. attack inside Pakistan in retaliation for an attack by the Taliban stateside create the same sort of international condemnation that Israel is facing after it attacked a Turkish-flagged vessel in international waters?  It wouldn't.  It's make believe.

Lastly, Carafano is confusing his own fantasy of wanting the U.S. military to indiscriminately kill thousands of Pakistanis with actual U.S. foreign and military policy.  Nowhere has the Obama administration, or any administration for that matter, indicated that retaliation for an attack would mean "carpet-bombing the Pakistan countryside."  That's just wishful thinking on his part.