Back when nuclear weaponry and deterrence strategy still received serious national deliberation, most sensible people recognized a basic reality: Once the technology to build nuclear weapons became widely available, there was no way to stuff "the nuclear genie back in the bottle." In those days, only the most pollyannish and irresponsible -- typically, arms-control enthusiasts, Soviet dupes and one-worlders -- nurtured illusions that nuclear proliferation could be wholly prevented. Toward that end, such "genie-stuffers" generally promoted the negotiation of unverifiable treaties and unilateral U.S. restraint, if not actual disarmament. Unfortunately, a domestic political squeeze-play (involving funding for the long-since-terminated Super...