“A nuclear first strike would be a foreign policy disaster.”
On the other hand, an NK nuclear first strike would a REAL disaster of enormous long-term magnitude, in human terms, in economic terms, psychologically...in any way you can think of. The act of Kim pushing the button, would end the Trump Administration and send the government into complete chaos. Do we want to take any chance that he might successfully hit something when the consequences are so great?
I doubt that it would end Trump. But still firing first would have fallout affecting not just NK but China, SK, Japan and also Russia. I don’t think firing nukes in a first strike no matter the risk of a launch by Kim is the way to go. Plus there’s no assurance that we would get all their nukes anyhow. Don’t put too much faith in technology. The NKs aren’t a bunch of pathetic ragheads.
Don’t want to sound petty for thinking about the stock market and money, but can you imagine what a 10,000 point drop on the Dow over the several days immediately following a nuclear war with NK would do to our economy?