[seadevil]

Ummm...don't wanna rain on your parade or anything, guy, but Poseidon was retired a long time ago. And, we never had a SSBN capable of throwing "50 missiles". Current SSBN's (Trident) carry 24 SLBM's; some MIRVed with 6 heads, others with 8 and a few carry only one. We also have the SSN fleet with SLCM capability that can carry nuke heads if deployed in that manner.

As to your general thesis, no American president will ever authorize nuclear release authority unless a terrorist WMD can be publically and specifically traced to an actual foreign government who provided the direct logistical support.

[Hillary'sMoralVoid]

Seadevil, You are correct about Trident, that is the current SLBM, with the MIRVed weapons they can attack at least 50 independent targets, perhaps more than 100.

I think that we'll eventually develop a target list (if not already), just like we had with the Soviets. If war is waged in the name of Islam, we will retaliate against Islam, through a prioritized list of targets.

[TAquinas]

So they win in the end?

That's scary.

[Firefox1]

I think you're being simple minded. If a nuke went off in this county, it would be irresponsible not to retaliate against at least 4 or or main targets (possibly more). Mecca, Medina, Tehran, and Demascus would be on my short list. You see, we'll never be able to trace the bomber. All the Muslims would just be pointing fingers and acting stupid if we weree nuked. Because of this, we would have no choice but to asume that they are all guilty. In a way we would be correct. One of the main problems we face is that these governments turn a blind eye to the murderers in their midst. This ould make them quite guilty, indeed..

[cpdiii]

As to your general thesis, no American president will ever authorize nuclear release authority unless a terrorist WMD can be publically and specifically traced to an actual foreign government who provided the direct logistical support.

I beg to differ. The groups that want and are attempting to acquire nuclear material to use against this country can not survive without governments such as exist in Syria, Iran, North Korea. I would suspect that we have unofficially told these governments that if a nuclear bomb goes off in the United States we would use tactical nukes to decapitate all their governments and military. There is nothing like sure death to get ones attention. The swine that control these countries are not martyrs and they do not wish to die. Our current president has the cojones to do this.

[johnb838]

Just curious, what do you suppose our immediate response would be if one of our downtowns say, St. Louis, went up in a mushroom cloud with fallout all over the metro area and winds blowing it all over the midwest?

Think the President would just go off to an undisclosed location and let us all sweat it out? Really? Tell us to be chill? Not to react hastily? Islam is a great religion of peace? Think anybody'd be buying what he had to sell? Think there would be enough cops and troops to put down the panic riots that would follow?

The world wonders.

[Allosaurs_r_us]

As to your general thesis, no American president will ever authorize nuclear release authority unless a terrorist WMD can be publically and specifically traced to an actual foreign government who provided the direct logistical support.

 

To even suggest we would use a nuclear weapon is just about the dumbest thing I have ever heard. We have gone to great pains to spare civilian lives in this war on terror. American lives have been lost because of this practice. It would be much easier to just cluster bomb a city block than root out a couple of insurgents, but then we would be no better than those that oppose freedom and the war against terror.

 

Obviously the author of this thread has no idea what he/she is talking about. This will never be an option. How in the world could anyone come to the conclusion a whole city should be wiped off the face of the planet because of an one individual and his followers of fanatical lunacy.

 

Suggestions such as this are counter productive and serve no useful purpose. This thread should be flushed down the commode!

 

[garjog]

"no American president will ever authorize nuclear release authority unless a terrorist WMD can be publically and specifically traced to an actual foreign government who provided the direct logistical support."

This thread is probably over, but don't you think that the terrorists would make sure that we couldn't trace a terror nuke attack to any government? Then they could get away with it, right?