In response to a deadly — but unverified — military threat, and to free a nation burdened under a cruel, oppressive government, the United States, cheered on by a jingoistic media, launches a preemptive strike against the forces of…

Iraq? No, Spain in the 1890’s. There are a few interesting parallels between today’s situation and the events leading up to the Spanish-American war — which, by the way, ended with the US inadvertently colonizing the Philippines, after routing the Spanish fleet with surprising ease.