A Third World War by Newt Gingrich

Human Events Online ^ | July 17, 2006 | Newt Gingrich

[rmlew]

Aside from the immediate damage from a nuclear device being set off in or near a city, would not our national infrastructure be damaged?
What would such an attack do to our electric grid and telecommunications grid?

[NicknamedBob]

There is no danger in overestimating the peril.

There is no danger in killing a flea with a sledgehammer.


And there is no advantage to being gulled by an enemy who has practiced the art of deceit and treachery for a thousand years.

The many lands where we now see peril were once free of the Islamofascist scourge. Those who could have resisted their conquest were always cautioned to wait.

[Porterville]

We have been saying the same thing at the FR for about 5 years come September. Newt is welcome to join the obvious.... what does it take to get these politicos into thinking like the common man?

[Wonder Warthog]

"Without getting too deep into a discussion on this, what if a rogue nation or its surrogate gains control of a 20 megaton or greater warhead and managed to detonate via "air-burst" (assuming they have delivery capability) in either NYC (our financial & economic center) or Washington DC (our political & military center)?"

Probability approaches zero. Most likely "real nuke" scenario is a Hiroshima type bomb detonated at ground level.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Aside from the immediate damage from a nuclear device being set off in or near a city, would not our national infrastructure be damaged?

Unlikely. See my point about the maximum probabilty nuke size=Hiroshima bomb at ground level.

"What would such an attack do to our electric grid and telecommunications grid?"

Probably very little, except in the limited area affected by the blast.

[Omglol]

you r spot on. many have forgotten lessons of 911. us economy weakened by feds popping bubble hit by 911 and walmart was busy the next day. did any other economy displace us ... no. did our military fall apart... no. we under value our people, economy and military including nuclear options. newt took a stupid pill back when he left his wife. he hasn't been right since. the middle east powers cant beat israel. iran couldnt beat iraq. even their politic rag the nytimes is dying. understand a couple things about nukes (or other wmds) once u got them they got you. you must manage them, protect yourself, maintain them, secure them, hide them, test them, ... the soviets couldn't do it. this is not a cheap ied. plus then they become targets in the case of noko they would be neutralized by 1 us sub.