It would get nasty is all I am saying and populus would become involved.
I agree with that. The "x" factor is whether or not society at-large would stay intact if our Capital suddenly disappeared. It's unthinkable. The panic would empty every major city from coast to coast for fear of another weapon going off.
Katrina proved how delicate the thread of society is in the face of Mother Nature. I can't imagine what would happen if AQ or Iran nuked an American city. I think it would be safe to assume that Pyongyang and Tehran would both be vaporized without notice, and perhaps even Damascus.
But that still might not resolve the problem of terrorists with nukes if they're not based among the usual suspects.
I guess what caught my about this article is (what I feel is, at least) the near certainty that the difference between the WOT and the Cold War lies within will and capability. Once AQ has the capability, it's going to be lights out somewhere in the world, followed by a global nuclear war. Iran would have to subscribe to the M.A.D. theory and believe that the isotopes of a suitcase bomb detonated by an AQ or Hezbollah would be quickly traced back to their facilities, followed by the annihilation of Tehran.
And if not Iran, there's always Pakistan, where Musharraf won't hold onto power forever.
Fun times.