[kabar]

Those that need to know. It can be a fairly small set of people. Diplomats deal in secrets all the time. Those who are ordered to carefully monitor Islamic extremists don't have to know the why behind the diligent monitoring. Why does the government have to tell the American people anything about the policy? Who really expects our government to detail its strategic plans?

The original point of discussion was whether the US government should threaten Islamic countries that if any nuclear weapon were to be detonated in the US, we would announce that "Mecca and all Islamic Holy sites and US Mosques easily within reach will be razed should any Atomic weapon be unleashed...no negotiations, no compromises. You just announce that it doesn’t matter regarding which group might have been responsible...you hold the RELIGIOUS IDEOLOGY responsible for the destruction and act accordingly!"

We can tell the governments of Islamic countries, in secret, that is our policy, but if the attack occurs, we must then inform the American public that this is our policy, i.e., we are declaring war on the world's one billion Muslims, including the 2 to 4 million Muslims in the US. It is an insane policy and I doubt that the American people would support such a policy even if we had been attacked with a nuclear weapon by an Islamic terrorist group, i.e., AQ. And it is also worth remembering that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has nuclear weapons. You can have strategic plans, but they had better be supportable by the American people and Congress.

You missed my point. George W. Bush has credibility threatening disproportionate responses because he has already responded in a disproportionate fashion. Is any policy going to end all terrorist acts? No but the policy here is to limit catastrophic terrorist acts.

Bush's credibility is fast evaporating as the axis of evil minus Iraq has been thumbing its nose at us. North Korea has tested or tried to test a nuclear weapon despite repeated threats by us. Iran is ignoring our threats and proceeding with its nuclear program. Iran is also training Iraqi terrorists, providing them with weapons to kill Americans, and sending in Iranian advisers to help the enemy. Bush has said that we will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Is that just an empty threat? The Iranians seem to think so.

[Rocky Mountain High]

You can have strategic plans, but they had better be supportable by the American people and Congress.

Are you insane?

[mdmathis6]

“Bush has said that we will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Is that just an empty threat? The Iranians seem to think so”

That would be a big mistake for the Iranians to think so, credibility or not. Bush has shown that he follows thru on his word, public opinion be damned!