[Question_Assumptions]

You are assuming that Obama has the will and guts to nuke Iran if they hit the United States. I don't. Where I once had some hope that he'd be a moderate along the lines of Bill Clinton, he's quickly shown himself to be more naive, stupid, and wrong than Jimmy Carter, the guy who let the radicals take over Iran, the Sandinistas take over Nicaragua, the PLO take over Lebanon, and so on without doing anything to stop it. While it would be difficult to imagine a real man sitting back and letting his country taking a nuclear hit, I think anyone foolish enough to think he can negotiate with "moderate Taliban" and who is stupid enough to kick the economy while it's down just might. And let's hope the Iranians and others don't start seeing it that way.

[bill1952]

Obama and what he wants or thinks is literally out of the equation if America is openly struck by nuclear fire.

not responding immediately would probably end his life by coup in about 14 seconds.
Just my take on power in such matters. But I share your assessment of Hussein.