Is this really the White House plan for rescuing Republicans from a looming midterms disaster? The reported strategy is so breathtakingly foolish that it sounds less like governing and more like political satire written by people with absolutely no sense of restraint.

“The White House has asked the Pentagon to develop strike options against Iranian targets that could be exercised ahead of the midterms, according to two administration officials,” The Atlantic reported Wednesday.

That request does not mean another strike will happen. But the fact that options are reportedly being developed ahead of the election raises an extraordinary possibility: Some people around President Donald Trump apparently see another round of bombing as a potential political rescue operation.

“But those in favor believe that further action after months of uneasy peace could allow Trump to demonstrate strength and potentially declare some sort of victory, giving Republicans much-needed momentum heading into the election,” The Atlantic added.

The theory is difficult to take seriously. According to the source article, Trump’s war has already proven catastrophically unpopular for both the president and the GOP, making the notion of doubling down on it an especially bizarre answer to Republicans’ political problems.

There is legitimate fury across the country over the war and its effects on energy prices and inflation. Renewed military action would remind voters of those consequences while placing the administration’s handling of the conflict squarely back in front of them.

That is hardly an obvious formula for generating “much-needed momentum.” If the administration wants voters to forget the war, another strike against Iranian targets would seem to be a remarkably direct way of making sure nobody does.

Trump could instead address the challenges facing voters. Yet the president has been obsessing over renaming buildings and covering Washington, D.C., in gold rather than speaking directly about the pressures confronting people around the country.

The article offers an even simpler electoral strategy for Republicans: Trump could hide in his ballroom bunker during the final four weeks of the election. That would at least give his party a brief break from the leader described as relentlessly dragging down its midterms chances.

The cruel political calculation is obvious. Anyone focused solely on Democratic gains might be tempted to root for Trump to pursue an idea this disastrous, particularly if it improved the chances of flipping states such as Kansas, South Carolina, and perhaps even South Dakota.

But treating war as an electoral game would be grotesque. War is awful, people have already suffered, and creating still more suffering for the sake of a supposed campaign advantage should not be confused with either strength or political competence.

The reported thinking is especially absurd because it assumes Trump could launch additional action, proclaim some sort of victory, and expect voters to reward Republicans. The source instead argues that another bombing campaign would reinforce public perceptions of the administration’s incompetence.

The White House request also exposes the warped priorities surrounding the election. Rather than finding a credible response to voter anger about energy prices, inflation, and the war, advocates of further action reportedly believe a dramatic display of force might change the political conversation.

That is not a governing agenda. It is a desperate attempt to manufacture the appearance of strength and attach the word “victory” to more military action, even as the existing conflict remains deeply unpopular and Republicans search for momentum.

The hope now is that other voices around Trump will explain what a terrible idea this would be. Given the suffering already caused and the political backlash described in the source, restraint would be vastly preferable to another round of reckless election season theatrics.

Trump cannot sue his way out of this problem or declare bankruptcy to escape it. The safest outcome would be for him to return to frightened inaction rather than compound another mess of his own making with more bombing and more human suffering.