# If Gingrich & Obama go head to head what is Obama's best strategy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 4, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054 "2011-12-04T20:58:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/81 "2011-12-12T23:48:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, Gingrich is concerned that the terrorists will set off a nuke high enough to EMP the entire country? With what space program? Al Qaeda certainly has trucks, probably has ships, and just might even have a few planes of their own, but there’s no way they have their own ICBMs. You fool! All they have to do is get a missile from Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Jeez man, don’t you even _read_? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/82 "2011-12-13T00:06:20Z")
Of course, if they have even one nuke, they can deliver it to any major port city in a sailboat. Even to Chicago, if they wish. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/83 "2011-12-13T00:12:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Of course, if they have even one nuke, they can deliver it to any major port city in a sailboat. Even to Chicago, if they wish. Irrelevant to any discussion of a transcontinental disruption of communications due to EMP. As pointed out above, that requires a high-altitude air burst. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/84 "2011-12-13T00:14:03Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Irrelevant to any discussion of a transcontinental disruption of communications due to EMP. As pointed out above, that requires a high-altitude air burst. Wasn’t the Internet originally specifically designed to weather that? At least, as I recall, the original purpose was to facilitate government and military communication the Day After, and they can’t have overlooked the possibility of EMP disruption. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/85 "2011-12-13T00:17:23Z")
Someone should alert Newt to the dangers posed by sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/86 "2011-12-13T00:21:16Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Someone should alert Newt to the dangers posed by sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads. No. No. Let’s not. Let him find out on his own. (You **did** install the trapdoor, didn’t you? Throw me a bone!) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054/87 "2011-12-13T06:48:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Wasn’t the Internet originally specifically designed to weather that? At least, as I recall, the original purpose was to facilitate government and military communication the Day After, and they can’t have overlooked the possibility of EMP disruption. Not specifically. The Internet was designed to survive loss of large amounts of infrastructure, but what form those losses take wasn’t really a consideration. More often, the sort of damage that ends up getting routed around is from some idiot with a backhoe digging where he shouldn’t be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gingrich-obama-go-head-to-head-what-is-obamas-best-strategy/605054.md?page=4)