Preserve, Protect and Defend

1. dave permalink

   April 8, 2010 6:03 pm

   Not sure if the “white flag over the White House” article from Judi McLeod is posted as satire or humor on this site or not. I read the article, which seems to predict the United States’ doom because Pres. Obama is seeking to reduce our nuclear arms stockpile. My question is: how large a nuclear stockpile is needed for security? Should we continue to grow it? If so, which enemies are we planning to use this stockpile on? The McLeod article strikes me as someone desperately looking to find a complaint with anything or everything Pres. Obama is doing. Seriously, if we were to cut our nuclear arsenal in half, would that seriously affect the decisions that North Korea, Pakistan, or Al Quaeda make? If we doubled it, again would any of those decisions change? Nuclear arms MAY still serve as a deterrent to countries such as North Korea, but whether there are enough to destroy 1 North Korea or 1000 North Koreas doesn’t change the strategic thinking on either side. So, other than screaming about fewer nuclear weapons (kind of an odd position to take, I think) can anyone elucidate a solid strategy for our nuclear arsenal and that increasing/decreasing it (say 50%) will have any change?
2. Huckleberry Dumbell, Editor In Chief permalink*

   April 9, 2010 7:51 am

   Anybody who plays poker knows you don’t show the other guy your cards before the betting begins. I agree with Charles Krauthammer.
3. Your Sister permalink

   April 9, 2010 9:06 am

   I am wondering how long it takes whomever makes nuclear bombs in the USA to put one together? (Just in case we need to replace one they get rid of) How about a neutron bomb?
4. dave permalink

   April 9, 2010 9:48 am

   Huckleberry Dumbell, Editor In Chief permalink

   Anybody who plays poker knows you don’t show the other guy your cards before the betting begins. I agree with Charles Krauthammer.

   So Huck, what exactly are you advocating? As I stated before, what is the strategic value of a large nuclear weapons stockpile? Who does that deter? It was an excellent strategic weapon in the age of the USSR. It has some deterrent value in a world with unstable regimes such as Iran and North Korea, but I don’t think you can come up with any argument as to the size. Sorry, I need more than poker analogies to spend my defense dollars. Suppose I said that I want to take all the savings from a reduced nuclear stockpile into conventional or anti-terrorist defense (something I think we can all agree on–nuclear weapons don’t deter terrorists–in fact, they may actually encourage terrorists to attempt to get nuclear material). C’mon let’s show some thoughtful responses here. Give me some alternatives or some solid reasoning… Cutsey comments (all flash and no substance) is one reason why our country is so dysfunctional today.

   I thought this blog might have some interesting and challenging points of view. Posting pictures and links with little thought behind them other than maintaing the party line doesn’t make for a very interesting experience.

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