59% of Americans favor using Nuclear Weapons

"If terrorists use weapons of mass destruction, such as radioactivity or nuclear weapons, would you favor or oppose the U.S. using nuclear weapons in response?"

Factor in one more terrorist attack on US soil, and I think the percentage would rise to nearly 100 percent.

True enough, but let me rephrase:
not enough Americans died on 11 September for us to be really serious about engaging terrorism.

Well, I don't think that Americans feel threatened enough.

Concur. Perhaps if were worded something like this:

Dear Citizen:
The lives of you, your family, and 4500 of your closest neighbors are not enough to warrant an overwhelming response. Perhaps a nice temporary coalition and a protracted series of conventional airstrikes will soothe your next of kin, assuming you have any left.
Of course, should the fiends resort to biological agents, take postumous comfort in that we will immediately highten our tempo of rhetoric.
Sincerely,
Your Elected Representatives

Favoring the use of nukes in response to WMD is a good thing since they are weapons of deterrence. No state would think twice about sponsoring a terrorist WMD act if they knew we were serious. But we all know that's not the issue.

In this war, nukes are probably the worst possible tactical weapon to use against the terrorists. A nuke strike would kill far more civilians than terrorists if it kills any terrorists at all. It would be useless as a deterrent since the terrorists don't care about civilians on either side of the line. Most terrorists would favor the escalation anyway. And we would instantly recruit millions to the terrorist cause.

We must face the fact that WMD are a vastly greater threat to people like us who have much more to lose than a terrorist in a cave somewhere. And another fact is that terrorists' WMD will be almost as survivable as our own carefully established air/sea/land triad was in the Cold War. Unless we deported everyone who looks remotely Mideastern (are you listening Justin Raimondo?) the terrorists WMD threats will always be present.

What do we do instead? Pinpoint police-type actions, defensive measures, support for allies who help fight terrorism (i.e. no easy answers).

It is exhibition of such arrogance and tyranny of absolute power that propells rest of the world to dislike American power, not its riches, way of life or types of freedoms.

"It is better to be feared than loved." - Niccolo Machiavelli

Halflion - you are grossly misnamed.

America did NOT start or declare this "holy war"... The radical Islamic terrorists did.
Our response should be catastrophic and horrible to behold... Our enemies should KNOW - that to attack America will result in unacceptable loss of life and property in the aggressor nation....

Our enemy should observe the glow on the horizon and KNOW we can and will destroy them if necessary.
Semper Fi

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