Very clever, Mr Ford.
Even the idea of nuclear power stations is controversial in Australia. Nuclear weapons, in the absence of a clear threat requiring them, would be virtually impossible politically.
Secondly, if Australia did decide to develop nuclear weapons, they would not be any sort of threat to the US. Perhaps we'd build a dozen. Perhaps at the extreme, we'd build one hundred or so.
The US has thousands - so even if Australia was a nuclear power, the use of nuclear weapons against the United States would be an act of national suicide. Australia has less than a dozen major urban centres. Therefore less than a dozen warheads could just about wipe us out. Whereas hitting America's twelve largest cities - though disastrous in terms of loss of life - would still leave a very powerful nation intact.
We would not be a threat.
Thirdly, if Australia really did decide we needed an independent nuclear deterrent and international conditions really required us to have one, the most likely way we would get one is to ask the US for assistance. It'd be a lot easier than building our own - we could do that, I have no doubt, if we had to (South Africa did) - but it'd be much easier to get US help. So the US would know exactly what was going on at all times.
Very well put. These very same views were expressed by Jonjayray a short time ago. I think it was on Dissectleft.com. I think your analysis is on the mark, and the poster who compared France to Australia also showed us all a fine comparison of "Blue State"----"Red State".
MAHALO
Crikey! Them Yanks discovered the secret. But we'll allow a few secrets to pass onto this Mr. Ford character.
1. Steve Irwin and Crocodile Dundee...were actually Aussie special forces personnel who were taking secret nuclear information out of America back to the Outback.
2. Rummy actually knew about this nuclear technology transfer and wanted to put them on the "axis of evil" list...but Laura Bush stood by the Aussies...thereby forcing GW to make a decision over who to trust (Laura won, if you want to know).
3. Cheney spends most of his time at a Perth nuclear testing facility and is a registered nuclear scientist by trade although this is kept secret from the New York Times, thus no one in America knows.
4. Finally, let it be known....our arch enemy....New Zealand....is the reason for the buildup of nuclear weapons. We've want to take them out of action ever since they went liberal.
Please make Mr. Ford aware of our Aussie secrets. Our ambitions are grand and widespread, and our influence over the American wussie government is deeper than you think. We will eventually be prepared to take these folks on. Our final agenda, if no one has figured it out....is to bring Fosters Lager to every American bar/pub/tavaran...so Mr. Ford is correct...we are a serious threat and should be respected.
You are absolutely right on all three points. I don't consider Australia a threat, any more than I consider Japan a threat. The difference between Japan, or Australia to say Iran or North Korea is, nobody is able to inspect just what the hell is really going on in Iran or North Korea.
Please ignore Ford, he's an idiot and doesn't know what he's talking about.
Carolyn