Why haven't they already been used? I can think of at least four reasons why they would be waiting to use them -- all four may be coming up within the next 10 days!
1. They are waiting for the announcement that OBL has been killed. This could happen at any minute. His death will be the signal to unleash the ultimate wave of vengeance.
2. They are waiting for the day before Thanksgiving (11/21). This is always the peak day for air travel in the US. Terminals are at their most crowded. A guy hauling what looks like an ordinary trunk on a luggage cart into the terminal and toward the airline ticketing desks would arouse zero suspicion. Once inside, BOOM! They wouldn't need to worry about going through the x-ray machines, the point isn't to blow up a plane but to blow up the terminal. In addition to killing lots of people, taking out a few carefully selected terminals could paralyze air traffic in the US for a long time. If they take out Reagan National, Dulles, and Baltimore/Washington, they stand a good chance of taking out significant numbers of important government personnel as well.
3. They are waiting for the day after Thanksgiving (11/23). This is always the peak day for retail sales. The malls are packed, and would be attractive targets of opportunity. It would not be necessary to haul in the device, just drive right up to the busiest entrance and set it off. The blast radius will still take out the entire mall building, plus much of the surrounding area. In some locations they can probably also target in a manner that would enable them to take out some nearby major highway overpasses as well. Need I also mention the impact that such a disaster would also have on the US economy?
4. They are waiting for 11/29, the anniversary of the UN resolution partitioning Palestine and providing the legal basis for the creation of an independent Israel. OBL has already issued a statement referring to this, condemning the UN, and warning all Arabs to "get out of the UN." If the police block off the streets so that they can't drive up to the UN building, they could just get in a boat and float down the East River until they are alongside the UN building to detonate. Or they could fly a small plane at low altitude and detonate near the UN complex. The blast radius might even be sufficient to take out the UN complex if they were on the opposite bank of the river directly across from the UN.
There are plenty of reasons why OBL would use his nuclear arsenal last. We discussed them in a thread titled: "Why Bin Laden Would Use Nuclear Weapons Last" Whatever the next date of terror is to be you can be sure that it is coming. Notice that the administration is always very careful to say that the action that we have undertaken in Afghanistan will NOT "stop what is in the can" or "stop what is in the pipe." Those operations have been planned for many years, financed and are already underway. The operatives will stick to their schedules no matter what happens in Afghanistan or to OBL.
Another thing. If you want to know whether or not the Administration thinks that OBL has nuclear capability don't watch their lips: "We don't believe he does at this time" Watch their actions. They never allow Cheney and Bush in the same city at the same time. What do people think this is to prevent? To keep them from reading the same Antrhax mail?
"4. They are waiting for 11/29, the anniversary of the UN resolution partitioning Palestine and providing the legal basis for the creation of an independent Israel."
I like your thought process....fortunately though....I dont think it is possible to smuggle twenty suitcase nukes into this coutry without one being found...twenty-for-twenty?
The Russians at the height of their cold war abilities couldnt pull that off.
Like I said though...
I am certain that our Best and Brightest are on this threat of suitcase Nukes....I believe Putin would be honest about their inventories and I believe if any were missing that we would be all over it like white on rice....we havent been in the past but we all understand the reasons for that...if the threat of suitcase Nukes was credible...then Congressional and Senate leaders would be called to the White House and the situation explained....
Marshal law would be declared and then refer back to my original scenario.