[Southack]

"Having excess capacity would extend your time for constructing the weapon. Separation of the Po-210 from the Pb-206 can be accomplished chemically or physically just prior to use and the initiator constructed at that point." - calenel

That rules out all stolen weapons from the past. What you are talking about is the brand new construction of an atomic weapon, and even there you are admitting that extensive maintenance (e.g. chemical separation of Polynium from Lead) in clean room labs (e.g. no air, no heat, no humidity) by highly skilled personnel is required.

The nation of Iran is grappling with those hurdles, and the U.S. isn't shooting at the Iranian leaders, arresting Iranian scientists, or putting multi-million Dollar bounties on the heads of the Iranians (yet)...all things that we *are* doing to Al Qaeda. Iran has yet to overcome those hurdles. Heck, Iran's nuclear reactors aren't even ready to make Polonium.

To think that Al Qaeda can do the above while being shot at and bombed by the U.S., but that Iran with sovereign territory, large oil resources, and no one shooting at their scientists can't, is to deliberately over-state the capabilities of the enemy.

North Korea can't even carry out a successful nuclear test yet. Illiterates in the Afghan mountains certainly aren't about to cap one off before North Korea or Iran.

[calenel]

"That rules out all stolen weapons from the past. What you are talking about is the brand new construction of an atomic weapon, and even there you are admitting that extensive maintenance (e.g. chemical separation of Polynium from Lead) in clean room labs (e.g. no air, no heat, no humidity) by highly skilled personnel is required."

You don't even know what you are talking about. You use the words but you don't know what they mean, and you apparently don't know the difference between polonium and plutonium. And I see that you are posting the same boilerplate b.s. on this other thread.