Leaders love military glory. The Romans had their famous triumphs and would add the sites of famous victories to the names of their renowned generals: Coriolanus, Africanus, Germanicus, Britannicus, and so forth. Now, some would have Donald Trump adopt “Persicus” as his own cognomen: victor over the Persians. How might thrashing Iran help the president’s political fortunes? Less than one might think. A war with Iran could give Trump a temporary sugar high of popularity. It could also be his political undoing.

The Bush Dynasty Legacy

We need look no further than George HW and George W Bush to see war’s impact on American political fortunes. The father-and-son presidential duo—let’s call them Bush the Elder and Bush the Younger, in keeping with our Roman theme—both waged wars with Iraq, and we chiefly remember them for those conflicts. However, we forget that Bush the Younger’s deeds as a conqueror once appeared greater. He invaded Iraq, captured and hanged its leader, and dispatched a proconsul to rule it. Seventy-one percent of voters thought he was doing a good job. “Dubya” was becoming Bush Mesopotamicus.

As we know, his war became a quagmire. Bush’s approval last broke 50 percent a few months into his second term. His party lost both houses of Congress in the war-focused 2006 midterms. It then lost the next two presidential elections. The next Republican to win the presidency had humiliated Bush’s little brother........

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