Trump kicked off his re-election campaign just like Nixon with Vietnam, Reagan with Grenada, Bush 1 with Iraq, and Bush 2 with both Afghanistan and Iraq - with a war. He, himself, has identified this strategy and suggested that Obama would follow it back in 2012 when he repeatedly tweeted that Obama, who was up for reelection that year, was going to start a war with Iran at any moment.

But a war to increase your popularity before a reelection campaign is a Republican trick, not a Democratic one. For Trump this is a twofer: not only does it give him the potential popularity of being a wartime president, but it also is, from his point of view, a way of punishing America for impeaching him.

Will it work for him? Some say no, but get ready for the “rally around the flag” effect when Iran hits us back, and Iran is a hell of a lot bigger and more powerful than any of the countries Republican presidents have used for their reelection campaigns in the past.

-Thom

Monday's Daily Stack

Article: "Bolton says he will testify in impeachment trial if Senate issues subpoena" by Axios.

Tweet: "I have posted a brief statement regarding testimony on the Ukraine impeachment matter before the Senate at: https://t.co/Q3TwI2BzBp" by John Bolton.

Article: "As a matter of fact, in interviews in 1999 with respected journalist, and long time Bush family friend, David Herskowitz, then Governor George Bush stated: 'One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief. My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it. If I have a chance to invade... if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency." - My Testimony for the Downing Street Memo Hearings" by Cindy Sheehan, June 16 2005.

Article: "Phil Donahue" by Wikipedia.

Article: "2020 is the new 2003" by Judd Legum.

Article: "Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists" (AUMF) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Pence Links Suleimani to 9/11. The Public Record Doesn't Back Him." by Zach Montague.

Video: Mike Pence lying in 2004 : "Weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq" [HoR May 20th 2004].

Article: "Constitution of the United States" Article 1 section 8. "The Congress shall have power ... To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;".

Article: "Trump says doesn't need Congress's OK for even 'disproportionate' strike" by AFP.

Article: "Qasem Soleimani" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Soleimani funeral procession eulogist puts prize on Trump's head" by Yaghoub Fazeli.

Article: "Pentagon officials reportedly presented Trump with the option of killing a top Iranian commander, not thinking he'd actually do it" by Michelle Mark.

Article: "US civilian contractor killed in rocket attack in Iraq" by Barbara Starr.

Tweet: "The Iraqi prime minister seems to be suggesting that the US essentially lured Soleimani into a peace mediation and then used that shuttle diplomacy to assassinate him on Iraqi soil. https://twitter.com/janearraf/status/1213823941321592834" by Nicholas Kristof.

Tweet: "This is stunning - #Iraq prime minister tells parliament US troops should leave. Says @realDonaldTrump called him to ask him to mediate with #Iran and then ordered drone strike on Soleimani. Says Soleimani carrying response to Saudi initiative to defuse tension when he was hit." by jane arraf.

Tweet: "WTF?!?
Senior journalist Haroon-ul-Rashid says Qasem Soleimani was carrying a letter @ Saudi Arabia, including how to reduce tensions with Saudi Arabia. Letter expressed the wish that Iran and the tension between Saudi Arabia should be alleviated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjLf5K_6QtE&feature=youtu.be" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "Iran, Russia and China carry out naval drills in Indian Ocean" by Telegraph.

Tweet: "#BREAKING: Iraq's Prime Minister Adil Abdul al-Mahdi receives China's ambassador to Iraq, Zhang Tao conveyed Beijing's readiness to provide military assistance." by Rudaw English.

Article: "Iraqi Parliament Votes to Expel All American Troops and Submit UN Complaint Against US for Violation of Sovereignty" by Jake Johnson.

Article: "Iraqi PM says he was schedule to meet with Soleimani the morning he was killed" by Adam Button.

Video: Even the tenth of Muharram (Ashoura) processions can't be compared to the funeral of #QassemSuleimani in #Tehran, as Iranians flood the streets in Iran's capital in what might be one of the biggest processions in country's history..

Article: "Pelosi says House will vote on war powers resolution this week" by Nancy Cordes.

Article: "Elizabeth Warren Questions Timing Of Soleimani Killing Amid Trump's Impeachment" by Nina Golgowski.

Article: "Trump's Iran mess is getting worse. Here's Adam Schiff's idea on what to do about it." by Greg Sargent.

Article: "The official Trump line on Soleimani strike starts to unravel" by Steve Benen.

Tweet: "very interesting that Lockheed's stock went up 2.0 percent on Thursday, the day before the attack. Looks like a lot of people should go to jail." by Dean Baker.

Article: "Eric Chewning, defense chief Mark Esper's chief of staff, resigns" by Sommer Brokaw.

Article: "Warren: People are reasonably asking about timing of US strike that killed Iranian commander" by CNN.

Article: "Julián Castro endorses Elizabeth Warren for president days after dropping out" by Ed O'Keefe.

Video: "CNN analyst tells senator to 'just be quiet' after Iran strike".

Article: "Pentagon to deploy roughly 3,500 more troops to Middle East with others placed on alert status, amid tensions with Iran" by Elizabeth McLaughlin.

Article: "Iran protests: Over 300 killed and thousands arrested in violent crackdown, Amnesty says" by Negar Mortazavi.

Article: "American Law And Policy On Assassinations Of Foreign Leaders: The Practicality Of Maintaining The Status Quo" by Nathan Canestaro.

Article: "Executive Order 11905" by Gerald Ford, 1976 (attempt to ban assassination).

Article: "The United States' Assassination of Iranian Military Leader Violates International Law" by Dave Inder Comar.

Article: "Why The U.S. Embassy In Iraq Became A Target Of Anger Again" by Greg Myre, Larry Kaplow.

Book: "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" by William L. Shirer.

Article: "Iran will target US military personnel and bases to avenge Soleimani's death, top Iranian general warns" by Tom Porter.

Book: "War Is A Lie" by David Swanson.

Article: "Anderson Cooper" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Operation Mockingbird" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Jeffrey Alexander Sterling " by Wikipedia.

Article: "Operation Merlin" by Wikipedia.

Movie: "The Patriot (2000 film)".

Article: "Japanese Internment Camps" by History.com.

Article: "Dozens of Iranian-Americans returning home from Canada detained, interrogated by U.S. border agents" by Gabe Ortiz.

Book: Proof of Conspiracy: How Trump's International Collusion is Threatening American Democracy by Seth Abramson.

Article: "War Powers Resolution" (War Powers Act, 1973) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists" (AUMF) by Wikipedia.

Article: "Explosive report indicates that Donald Trump's loans from Deutsche Bank were backed by Russia" by Mark Sumner.

Article: "Congressman Ted Lieu Accuses Trump Of Stock Market Fraud And Opens Investigation" by Andrew Bradford.

Article: "Unredacted Emails Reportedly Reveal 'Clear Direction' From Trump on Ukraine" by Tamar Auber.

Article: "Trump and Putin had another phone call, but the public didn't learn about it until the Kremlin issued a statement" by Jim Edwards.

Article: "People Worried They'd Be Drafted Into a War With Iran Apparently Crashed the U.S. Selective Service Website" by Madeleine Carlisle.

Site: Individual Ready Reserve.

Article: "Trump threatens attacks on 52 sites if Iran retaliates for Soleimani killing" by Dennis Romero and Yuliya Talmazan.

Article: "Wildfires In Australia Turned The Sky Blood Red" by Carla Herreria.

Article: "Eating meat has ‘dire' consequences for the planet, says report" by Sarah Gibbens.

Article: "Cut red meat, sugar by 50%: Lancet's diet plan for the world" by Jacob Koshy.

Article: "Health Risks Associated with Meat Consumption: A Review of Epidemiological Studies." by Battaglia Richi E, Baumer B, Conrad B, Darioli R, Schmid A, Keller U.

Article: "Red meat plays vital role in diets, claims expert in fightback against veganism" by James Tapper.

Article: ""Smoking Doesn't Kill" And Other Great Old Op-Eds From Mike Pence" by Andrew Kaczynski.

Article: "Defense secretary's chief of staff tenders resignation as Trump team moves toward war" by Hunter.

Article: "Defense secretary's chief of staff to step down" by Wesley Morgan, Connor O'Brien.

Article: "Trump's order to kill Soleimani is already starting to backfire" by Ishaan Tharoor.

Article: "US influence in Iraq wanes as Iran strengthens grip" by Chloe Cornish.

Article: "Investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Mar-a-Lago in the firing line: Iranian presidential adviser posts list of Donald Trump's properties in chilling hint of an attack on his real estate empire - after Iran put an $80million bounty on his head" by Tim Stickings.

Article: "The Definitive Net Worth of Donald Trump" by Forbes.

Article: "How Trump's decision to strike a top Iranian commander unfolded at Mar-a-Lago" by Ellen Cranley.

Movie: "The Report (2019 film)".

Book: "Sideswiped: Lessons Learned Courtesy of the Hit Men of Capitol Hill" by Robert Ney.

Article: "Transcript: former Republican Congressman Bob Ney: HAVA, Iran, prosecution. 20 August 2008" - Thom Hartmann Program.

Video: Thom Hartmann Book Club - "Sideswiped" by Bob Ney - September 1, 2016.

Video: Former Congressman Wants to Testify Against John Boehner's Crimes.

Article: "Kremlin Bank CEO May Have Flown To Florida 6 Days After Vladimir Putin Phoned Donald Trump, Records Suggest" by Jonathan Vankin.

Article: "Kremlin Bank CEO's Private Jet Flies Back To Moscow From Florida, Sberbank Denies Visit Part Of ‘Business'" by Jonathan Vankin.

Book: "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" by Naomi Klein.

Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

Trump's Illegal, Impeachable Act of War: I'll be joined by Major Danny Sjursen, U.S. Army strategist and former history instructor at West Point who served tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan / Author -Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge (his memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War)

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

And don't forget...Democracy is NOT a spectator sport...it begins with you...

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How Can We Trust the President? (w/Mark Pocan)

This Republican Trick Can Stop You From Voting

Where Trump Goes - Hate Crime Follows

Did Trump Start A World War?