Prologue : a critical review of America's wars -- The Spanish-American War -- World War I : Europe stumbles into war -- World War I : America's first European crusade -- World War I : the armistice and the treaty -- World War II : the infamy of Pearl Harbor -- World War II : America's second European crusade -- World War II : a Soviet victory -- The origins of the Cold War : the longest war -- The Korean War : the great reversal -- The Persian Gulf war : punishment of aggression -- The war on terror : the contrived war -- A presidential conversation in the West Wing