February 15 marks the anniversary of the destruction of the USS Maine, a momentous event that precipitated America’s involvement in the Cuban independence movement and what eventually became known as the Spanish American War. Most Americans gloss over this period in their history, it being quite overshadowed by the eventual scale of World War I. But for those who dig in and familiarize themselves with the circumstances and aftermath of the war, a familiar pattern emerges. The Spanish American War very much established a blueprint and example of how to portray a crisis to justify proceeding...