It will not take a detonation inside an American city to devastate our economy and hundreds of thousands of American lives to be lost; if Saddam is allowed to acquire nukes, a 1 meg detonated say twelve miles off shore of Los Angeles, New York, and or Miami will destroy the city and right up any rivers/inland waterways that lead to the sea through those cities.
Ignoring the 'head in the sand' folks like RiShi is better than giving them credibility by debating their lame-brained opinions. [HINT: a concealed carry permit isn't issued after being attacked, since CCP is to deter personal harm by being able to take action; how mistaken would this RiShi want to allow if a nuke or two from Saddam to terrorist shills were to be detonated off the coast of New York or Washington? Now the RiShi arguer will try to make the point that the CCP comes into use WHEN attacked, thus not an excuse to start shooting anyone the CCP person 'thinks' is a threat; but the reality is far more subtle when considering a megalomaniac and his proven minions. In essence, the notion of deterrence is all that I wish to pose with the CCP, and stomping the Bathists and Saddam NOW is the deterrence we ought opt for, to prevent the nuke-off-the-coast scenario ... waiting for a smoking gun (the tidal wave roaring toward New York) is not an option, unless one is willing to sacrifice a few million Americans and a city or three to get international sypathy on our side. Oh, and we don't really have the option to use nukes on Saddam unless WMD have been used on U.S., because the regional effects are catastrophic. We must strike 'pre-emptively'.]
Good advice from a Volunteer, I should take it. Definitely agree with your assessement of danger and the proper response. And, thanks for the CCP analogy, it clarifies the false one RiShi put forth. Some folks think an apple is an orange.
I just said the following on another thread: If it takes years to stabilize the the re-born nation of Iraq, that's cool, we're willing...on the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia, but if temporary bivouac in Iraq is what it takes to keep the City of Brotherly Love from becoming an irradiated blast zone, well...ok...we should make that choice, while we still can.