It was a bit of a shock to learn that Polk orchestrated the war - but maybe it shouldn't have been. Politicians have been playing these tricks since the dawn of politics, but when I think of a country using a false pretense to starting a war, Germany always comes to mind with their attack on Poland. They claimed "Seit 5:45 wird zurückgeschossen" (As of 5:45, they're firing back.)

Unfortunately, the public so often falls for things that are presented as facts, even when they're completely invented.