[jstolzen]

The terrorists have also been warning about the destruction of the US, not just "a hit", but total destruction.

Well, even with 30 devices, they wouldn't achieve "total destruction".

Sure, they'd make a heckuva mess of things, and kill about 3 million (plus or minus) people. BUT..the US has around *300* million people - and the 297 million that are left would be really, REALLY PO'd.

30 (or even 3) nukes would start WWIII quite easily. The ME would be vaporized in retaliation. Russia MAY enter the fray, along with China. We'd retaliate. The earth would be TOAST. Game over. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

What kind of real-estate would be left for AQ to build their promised land? NOTTA. Nothing here. Nothing in AsiaPac. Nothing in EMEA. Diddly.

So, what would AQ have to gain by detonating even *3* nukes? Just the end to them and everything else around them.

Doesn't seem like so hot of a plan to me.

[eastforker]

AQ does not care if they have anything to gain as long as we have everything to lose.

[FairOpinion]

You have to understand the terrorist mindset -- they are perfectly happy to send the world back to the stone ages. That is where their religion is comfortable.

I think you are way underestimating the dead, if nukes go off in major cities. Millions would die in just one major city.

Top 50 US cities by population

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United States—U.S. Cities

Top 50 Cities in the U.S. by Population and Rank

	4/1/2000 census population	4/1/1990 census population	Numeric population change 1990–2000	Percent population change 1990–2000	Size rank 1990	Size rank 2000
New York, N.Y.	8,008,278	7,322,564	685,714	9.4	1	1
Los Angeles, Calif.	3,694,820	3,485,398	209,422	6.0	2	2
Chicago, Ill.	2,896,016	2,783,726	112,290	4.0	3	3
Houston, Tex.	1,953,631	1,630,553	323,078	19.8	4	4
Philadelphia, Pa.	1,517,550	1,585,577	–68,027	–4.3	5	5
Phoenix, Ariz.	1,321,045	983,403	337,642	34.3	10	6
San Diego, Calif.	1,223,400	1,110,549	112,851	10.2	6	7
Dallas, Tex.	1,188,580	1,006,877	181,703	18.0	8	8
San Antonio, Tex.	1,144,646	935,933	208,713	22.3	9	9
Detroit, Mich.	951,270	1,027,974	–76,704	–7.5	7	10
San Jose, Calif.	894,943	782,248	112,695	14.4	11	11
Indianapolis, Ind.	791,926	741,952	49,974	6.7	13	12
San Francisco, Calif.	776,733	723,959	52,774	7.3	14	13
Jacksonville, Fla.	735,617	635,230	100,387	15.8	15	14
Columbus, Ohio	711,470	632,910	78,560	12.4	16	15
Austin, Tex.	656,562	465,622	190,940	41.0	25	16
Baltimore, Md.	651,154	736,014	–84,860	–11.5	12	17
Memphis, Tenn.	650,100	610,337	39,763	6.5	18	18
Milwaukee, Wis.	596,974	628,088	–31,114	–5.0	17	19
Boston, Mass.	589,141	574,283	14,858	2.6	20	20
Washington, DC	572,059	606,900	–34,841	–5.7	19	21
Nashville-Davidson, Tenn.1	569,891	510,784	59,107	11.6	26	22
El Paso, Tex.	563,662	515,342	48,320	9.4	22	23
Seattle, Wash.	563,374	516,259	47,115	9.1	21	24
Denver, Colo.	554,636	467,610	87,026	18.6	28	25
Charlotte, N.C.	540,828	395,934	144,894	36.6	33	26
Fort Worth, Tex.	534,694	447,619	87,075	19.5	29	27
Portland, Ore.	529,121	437,319	91,802	21.0	27	28
Oklahoma City, Okla.	506,132	444,719	61,413	13.8	30	29
Tucson, Ariz.	486,699	405,390	81,309	20.1	34	30
New Orleans, La.	484,674	496,938	–12,264	–2.5	24	31
Las Vegas, Nev.	478,434	258,295	220,139	85.2	63	32
Cleveland, Ohio	478,403	505,616	–27,213	–5.4	23	33
Long Beach, Calif.	461,522	429,433	32,089	7.5	32	34
Albuquerque, N.M.	448,607	384,736	63,871	16.6	40	35
Kansas City, Mo.	441,545	435,146	6,399	1.5	31	36
Fresno, Calif.	427,652	354,202	73,450	20.7	48	37
Virginia Beach, Va.	425,257	393,069	32,188	8.2	39	38
Atlanta, Ga.	416,474	394,017	22,457	5.7	38	39
Sacramento, Calif.	407,018	369,365	37,653	10.2	37	40
Oakland, Calif.	399,484	372,242	27,242	7.3	35	41
Mesa, Ariz.	396,375	288,091	108,284	37.6	53	42
Tulsa, Okla.	393,049	367,302	25,747	7.0	44	43
Omaha, Neb.	390,007	335,795	54,212	16.1	47	44
Minneapolis, Minn.	382,618	368,383	14,235	3.9	43	45
Honolulu CDP,2 Hawaii	371,657	365,272	6,385	1.7	41	46
Miami, Fla.	362,470	358,548	3,922	1.1	46	47
Colorado Springs, Colo.	360,890	281,140	79,750	28.4	54	48
St. Louis, Mo.	348,189	396,685	–48,496	–12.2	42	49
Wichita, Kans.	344,284	304,011	40,273	13.2	51	50

1. Nashville-Davidson city is consolidated with Davidson County.

2. Honolulu Census Designated Place; by agreement with the State of Hawaii, the Census Bureau does not show data separately for the city of Honolulu, which is coextensive with Honolulu County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Web: www.census.gov .

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[Indie]

Doesn't seem like so hot of a plan to me.

This is just my opinion. I believe they have the nukes. I believe they will go boom. I believe the wait is to allow Bush to be defeated by a marxist morally weak Kerry/ THEN they go boom and watch Kerry run around like a chicken with his head cut off saying "what do we do! what do we do!"

They know he'll fold up like a deck of cards and probably won't retaliate at all. THAT is why nothing has gone BOOM yet IMO. Comments>?

[JustPiper]

You mean the AlQ gullible faction that believes the goats and virgins await them?

The naive AlQ who believe they are martyr's for Allah

as opposed

To the ones that would not think that far ahead, they cannot see beyond their hate to annihilate us