# Pervert, you're a dishonest debater. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 9, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987 "2004-08-09T04:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/41 "2004-08-10T22:39:10Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > I have _that_ much faith in your grip on reality **pervert**. It’s just that we spent the last 35 or so years with the president available to make life and death decision for the country on a minute by minute basis. It was a bit of a shock to see it revealed so graphically that that level of readiness _no longer exists_. The procedures for what to do in case of a missile strike were hammered out over a period of decades by numerous adminstrations. Nearly every nuclear-war scenario had been wargamed over and over such that all presidential decisions came down to mutiple choice questions (option A, B, or C) that they had been extensively briefed on beforehand. I daresay that that level of readiness does still exist for _that threat_. It is facile to draw a comparison to a different threat, which had not been foreseen by any adminstration and was not planned for. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/42 "2004-08-10T23:44:54Z")
> [@furt](#): > > It is facile to draw a comparison to a different threat, which had not been foreseen by any adminstration and was not planned for. That would be because each and every threat is so different from all other threats that there can be no common planning for any of them? Maybe something along the lines of “get the commander in chief to a secure location where he has access to as much command and control functionality as we can give him”? Does that vary significantly from threat to threat? As you no doubt know, NORAD ran drills on how to respond to threats from evildoers [using jets for weapons](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-04-18-norad_x.htm). Did someone in the president’s party check to see if there _was_ a playbook for this particular threat, or were they overwhelmed by the unthinkability of the whole scenario? ---
**Author:** ![pervert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@pervert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervert)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/43 "2004-08-11T00:38:12Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Maybe something along the lines of “get the commander in chief to a secure location where he has access to as much command and control functionality as we can give him”? Does that vary significantly from threat to threat? Oddly enough, this was done that day. Are you claiming that it was not? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/44 "2004-08-11T00:51:06Z")
> [@pervert](#): > > Oddly enough, this was done that day. Are you claiming that it was not? Not at all. I’d just like to see a little more snap from the men at the top, particularly when, as **Furt** kindly pointed out, they face a threat of unknown dimensions. ---
**Author:** ![pervert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@pervert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervert)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/45 "2004-08-11T04:08:41Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Not at all. I’d just like to see a little more snap from the men at the top, particularly when, as **Furt** kindly pointed out, they face a threat of unknown dimensions. Fair enough. So long as we remember that the unknown dimensions may take a few minutes to work out. Even to the point that they know enough to hustle the President off to a safe location. ---
**Author:** ![Silocke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Silocke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silocke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/46 "2004-08-13T00:17:43Z")
> [@](#): > > **Muffin** : What did Bush do? He avoided learning what was going on. But you’re missing the point here. He had to much _class_! GET IT? GET IT? Thank you folks, I’m here all night. ---
**Author:** ![pervert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@pervert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pervert)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987/47 "2004-08-13T03:34:10Z")
> [@Silocke](#): > > But you’re missing the point here. He had to much _class_! > GET IT? > > GET IT? > > Thank you folks, I’m here all night. Now that’s funny too! Very well done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pervert-youre-a-dishonest-debater/258987.md?page=2)