The war party's playbook.(The Last Word)

During his presidential campaign, the Republican candidate was perceived as a man of modest ambitions, devoted to reining in government growth at home and pursuing a more "humble" foreign policy. Once in the White House, however, this seemingly unpretentious man suddenly morphed into a "war president."

The new president brought in his train a shadowy clique of ambitious figures--bankers, media moguls, and political opportunists--who had been trying, without success, to maneuver the United States into a foreign war. The president himself claimed a mandate from "Providence" to wage a global war on behalf of "liberty."

For nearly two years, the president and his allies--particularly in Republican-aligned media--stoked public outrage over the threat posed…