# Our government is planning to use nukes? You have to be \*&@#$ kidding me! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 9, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937 "2006-04-09T08:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937/161 "2006-04-12T22:13:57Z")
> [@wring](#): > > don’t know what point you were trying to make. the sequence I was commenting on was; > POSTER A: USA hasn’t used nukes since WWII > Poster B: listed cites of USA testing nukes by exploding same. > I was pointing out that there is an appreciable difference between testing the damn things and intentionally dropping them on habited areas. Poster Danalan: The whole point of testing nukes is to prove you have them, so you can threaten to use them. If you have a revolver, and you point it at someone, and tell them to do something, you have used the revolver just as surely as if you had fired a bullet. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937/162 "2006-04-12T22:20:01Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > Poster Danalan: The whole point of testing nukes is to prove you have them, so you can threaten to use them. . that may be one reason. however, since it’s been abudently clear since the end of WWII that the US does indeed have nukes, why, pray tell, would we continue to test them, unless, well, there’s like **other** reasons to test 'em? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937/163 "2006-04-13T16:59:38Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Yes, but Hersh has his own agenda, since it’s no secret he despises Bush (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). > > I’m sure he’d be a little more likely to believe someone who had a story that seemed to make the Bush administration look like idiots. > > Because I don’t believe for a second that Bush et al are really really planning a nuclear first strike on Iranian nuclear development facilities. Maybe somebody asked for some contingency plans or worst-case scenarios. But even if somebody in the Bush administration was pushing the nuke bunker-buster plan, I believe you’d have to fire half the generals in the Pentagon before you’d find one who’d carry out the order for a nuclear first strike against Iran. Hersh was on FreshAir yesterday, and covered most of these points. First, the first strike moved from a contingency plan to operational. This is not saying that there is an intent to do it, but this is a higher level. Second, he said that the military does not want to ever use nuclear weapons, especially in this situation, and requested that the option be removed - which the White House refused to do. So your comment on the generals seems pretty much on the money. Hersh said that there would be lots of resignations before this got further. The reason it was leaked, he said, was to put pressure on the WH to abandon this possibility - in other words to make their nice statement a few days back on the remoteness of this happening a reality. This said, the fact that Bush, Rummy and Cheney wanted this on the table scares the crap out of me. One General J.D. Ripper in power and we’re screwed. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Iskander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/db5fbb/32.png) [@New\_Iskander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Iskander)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937/164 "2006-04-13T19:48:53Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Hersh was on FreshAir yesterday, and covered most of these points. First, the first strike moved from a contingency plan to operational. This is not saying that there is an intent to do it, but this is a higher level. Second, he said that the military does not want to ever use nuclear weapons, especially in this situation, and requested that the option be removed - which the White House refused to do. So your comment on the generals seems pretty much on the money. Hersh said that there would be lots of resignations before this got further. I listened to that too. First, Hersh clearly said that considering all the options is a standard procedure. Second, Hersh said that nuclear option was presented to WH by the military. Later, some commanders went back to WH and asked to remove it from the table. WH decided to keep it ‘on the table’. Third, Hersh said if nuclear option is used there will be some resignations. Clearly, military is not unanimous on this and those potential resignees (and/or leakers) represent a minority group. Here is [someone else who wants to keep the nuclear option](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12169680/print/1/displaymode/1098/) ‘on the table’: > [@](#): > > MR. RUSSERT: But the, the Iranians have said, “Get out of our life. We, we are going forward with our program no matter what you do.” > > SEN. KERRY: Yeah, but what you don’t have… > > MR. RUSSERT: So you seem to be accepting the Iranians having a nuclear bomb. > > SEN. KERRY: No, I’m not accepting it, and I’ve said point blank that you **leave that option on the table** for the end, but I don’t think using tactical nuclear weapons still makes sense. But you **leave the military option on the table**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-government-is-planning-to-use-nukes-you-have-to-be-kidding-me/351937.md?page=8)