Well then, play it out. Three major US cities attacked. No nuke response on our part? Then what is our stomach for US deaths - 3, 5, 10 cities? I'm pretty sure our policy is nukers get nuked.
If we get nuked, America with seethe. Say we trace the blast to a uranium from iran or some chatter tips us off. You don't think Tehran will disappear? What's the alternative - tell them to lay down arms? And we do what with their muslim country then? We sure can't occupy it. Americans won't stand for another 3-year war with boots on the ground and precision bombs and IEDs and debating ayatollahs and what not.
One of the problems with lobbing precision bombs at military and government targets when the enemy is a cultural system is that not enough people are killed to force a general surrender, a complete change of order. How many precision bombs would it have taken to force Japan to surrender?
If we get nuked, our challenge will be to change the entire islamic order once and for all by forcing them to abandon their imperialism - and doing it before another nuke goes off in America. I don't think you can do that with conventional weapons. At least not without a hellrain of conventional weapons, and then you might as well use nukes because the result will be the same.
About 2-3 months after 9/11, there was an official statement from the White House saying that US policy is to retaliate with nuclear weapons to any WMD attack on the US. (I was relieved to see this come across my cell phone as a News Alert from the AP and thought "good for Dubya"). I personally believe this is a VERY big part of why we never saw a city or two get taken out in a follow up attack. (And, I do believe they have the capability - the USSR's collapse alone almost guarantees it - ANYTHING and EVERYTHING has been/is for sale..you don't think AQ with all of their hundreds of millions of $$s from their drug business could pick up a couple of the "big toys"?!)
Now, if Dubya is in the WH, I'd say this would happen. The Hildabeast - she'd probably invite the bad guys to the Rose Garden for tea.
Conservatives will seethe. Liberals will justify. RINOs will compromise...
"If we get nuked, our challenge will be to change the entire islamic order once and for all by forcing them to abandon their imperialism - and doing it before another nuke goes off in America. I don't think you can do that with conventional weapons. At least not without a hellrain of conventional weapons, and then you might as well use nukes because the result will be the same."
Great points and I agree. THis is why we should go in with boots on the ground now, full air power, propoganda & special opps, the works. We cannot tolerate these options later, we're damned if we do but really damned later if we don't.