The former Governess of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, was recently disciplined by the media for carelessly citing "government overreach" as a cause of the US Civil War -- but not mentioning slavery. Like a good little Republican't, she adjusted her position the day after -- telling a local New Hampshire interrogator: "Of course the Civil War was about slavery." Typical politician. When folks from Dixieland are watching on TV, blame the North for "overreach." When further pressed on the matter in New England, blame the South for slavery. Ms. Haley is of no use and of no concern to us because no one and nothing can stop Trump at this point. But her waffling on the subject does offer us a good "teachable moment" ™ for unraveling the false pretexts claimed on both sides of that tragic conflict, and establishing the true motives of the leaders (not necessarily the respective populations) of the opposing sides. Neither "overreach" nor "slavery" triggered the Civil War -- at least not pr