If the president took his role as commander-in-chief seriously, as his press secretary suggests, he'd do the right thing, and step down. It doesn't take a graduate of Leadership 101 to admit that one has made a mistake and, at the very least, begin a phased withdrawal.
Power that fears truth and the light of day is power that doesn't bend, adapt, or countenance dissent, but instead can only work to eviscerate and defy opposition.
A govenment that relies on hubris, and not consent from those it governs, can only exist in retreat from the ever growing tide of history.