reality-based educator

Usually you hear the accusations that the Bush administration may try and stage a terrorist attack here in the United States in order to revive public support for the Iraq war and its War on Terror policies come from people on the tin foil left. But yesterday, Republican Congressman Ron Paul made the same accusation:

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, said the country is in "great danger" of the U.S. government staging a terrorist attack or a Gulf of Tonkin style provocation, as the war in Iraq continues to deteriorate.

The Texas congressman offered no specifics nor mentioned President Bush by name, but he clearly insinuated that the administration would not be above staging an incident to revive flagging support.

"We're in danger in many ways," Paul said on the Alex Jones radio show. "The attack on our civil liberties here at home, the foreign policy that's in shambles and our obligations overseas and commitment which endangers our troops and our national defense."

Paul was asked to respond to comments by anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan that the U.S. is in danger of a staged terror attack or a provocation of an enemy similar to the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964 before the Vietnam War.

During the radio interview, Paul said the government was conducting "an orchestrated effort to blame the Iranians for everything that has gone wrong in Iraq."

Conservative blogger and contributor to The American Conservative Cunning Realist has noted how many wingers have started a "Waiting for Yamamoto" movement.

The phrase refers to the Japanese admiral who led the surprise attack against Pearl Harbor in 1941 that ultimately spurred the United States to enter WW II after three years of sitting on the sidelines watching the rest of the world fight it out.

There has always been some conjecture that the United States government knew the Japanese were going to attack but purposely allowed the Pearl Harbor strike in order to wake up a complacent American populace to the dangers of Fascism.

The current "Waiting for Yamamoto" movement is waiting for a similar surprise strike in the domestic United States to wake up the "somnolent masses" to the dangers of "Islamofascism." In this scenario, "another Pearl Harbor" in the United States becomes, in Realist's words,

as much an opportunity as a disaster. How else to wake up those who aren't sufficiently afraid?

Ron Paul says the "Waiting for Yamamoto" movement might take it one more step - they might stage their own Pearl Harbor.

Gotta love it when crackpot theories usually pushed by the tin foil hat crowd now seem plausible.

Anybody want to give me a date for the next Pearl Harbor?

POSTSCRIPT: Realist's latest "Yamamoto" posts are here and here.