The Cole's commander could not know for certain the dinghy's purpose. But he did know for certain that if he caused an incident that proved to be unwarranted, he would have no support from Clinton's politically correct Navy. Political correctness has reversed the caution factor. The damage inflicted on our armed forces by Clinton-Gore goes far beyond insufficient funding. Similarly, the readiness problem goes beyond undermanned and undertrained forces.
Military personnel are afraid to act in a ready, or timely, fashion.
Unable to risk the use of force, the Cole assisted its own demise.