I was in Europe at the time as well, and I totally disagree with your dismissal of the massive Soviet military and Warsaw Pact forces, I never licked up that view from our forces or those of our allies.
I’m glad you agree about having to go nuke to stop them, and if you don’t think the Soviet Empire of European forces and geography and structured on attack was powerful, then you must agree with me that Russia is weak and impotent today.
“Quantity has a quality, all it’s own”
Also having spent some time in Europe during that period, I know that WE would likely have been the ones to go Nuclear, first. In fact, it was the doctrine.
That said, the politics of Europe are far different now, than then. There is no “Combined Front” anymore, and the axis of interests aren’t the same, either.
Belgium or Britain, for example, aren’t going to cancel a Social Program to buy 15 new fighter aircraft, the handouts crowd just won’t stand for it. And you can bet the Russians know it, too.
I was in Germany from 1970-72. We did not have enough divisions there to stop what the Russians had piled upon the other side of the border. We could only slow them down, but they never could have won or kept the territory for very long. We knew that. That is why I was there.
Today it's a different ball game. If Russia wanted to they could blow through Europe because there is really nothing to stop them conventionally.
Europe has relied on us to protect them and thus have virtually no military defense. They could not afford it because of the socialism.
Containment policies regarding Russia, are as I said, largely one of intelligence assets and proxy engagements. Ukraine is one of those proxy engagements or soon will be.
The question I have is if Obama is up to it, and I think he is not. I think the US is going to lose this one. It may rise to the occasion on the next one depending on who it is and depending on the rest of Europe.
Right now, I don't see much Churchillian rhetoric coming from those that will eventually be affected by Russia's dominance of the region.
Taking all that together, with the sad state of affairs in the US, I don't believe that our bluff will work with Putin, and bluffing is not something we have a habit of doing. If I am wrong, and Obama surprises me, I will give him creds for it, but I think he's pussy. I think that at best we will remain in a cold war posture until someone with some gonads and sense of US identity is in the Whitehouse. This one does not have that.