They do that, we nuke. End of story.
No sarcasm intended, I am in earnest.
If they use WMDs, you are absolutely right. But if they pull it off conventionally, and we have a demo or rino in the White House...I am not sure we would make unilateral use of our nukes.
In a worst-case scenario, which would place several million hostile troops on our southern border, I would have to agree that the nuclear option will be a hot topic of debate.
You are aware that ex-Admiral Stansfield Turner wants us to go down to only Two Hundred nuclear warheads. (Strategic and tactical) Two hundred altogether. Period. He believes in something he calls "existential deterrence". Apparently GWB has been using a lot of the rationale behind Turner's themes to do what he has been doing to reduce our strategic forces: Decommissioning all our MX's. De-Nuclearizing ALL B-1Bs. Cutting the force in half. Putting all the "eggs" in one bomber base basket. Cutting out four Tridents from the nuclear fleet.
When the RATS get back into the White House or Congressional control... and more-steeply cut still, the last cushion of deterrence will be gone. The Russians have retired only 5% of their SS-18 First Strike Weapon inventory. The RATS will disregard that and will likely fully implement the 200 weapon "stock pile"...the pathway will have already been paved for them...by our own side. Even Xlinton hadn't dared do that, but GWB, by having pompously done so opened the door to the next RAT to go for it...