"This is what Israel says they thought they were attacking)" & "USS Liberty".
A horse hauler (freighter) cannot do 28 knots..period. No freighter of the time could.
I am quite sure that the Israeli reconnaissance airplane that circled the ship about an hour before the attack recognized this was a warship. I know our P-3 crews would. I am positive that the torpedo boat crew knew this also before attacking.
I think these facts show that your statement of "I think that the "takeaway" from this incident is that it was STUPID policy to send slow, barely armed spy-ships into hostile waters!!!"
"slow, barely armed spy-ships" are not slow, they are barely armed though.
I resent our gov't LYING to the American people and I resent the Israel officials who wish to continue the LIE.
The only thing I see as being the reason for continuing this LIE is that some of these people are still alive and would go to jail.