No, it has to do with gullible Pubbie voters (or party line crossing Dims) in primaries being led around by the partisan media shills, period.
One lesson people *should* have learned by now from the two most recent POTUS, and that is, when confronted by defeat, double down. GWB did that against a hostile congress after the Demagogic Party regained control, Zero does that and has done that since day one. Trump and Cruz also roll that way.
Bush doubled down on the Iraqi Troop Surge of '07 and won.