Love at First Strike

Security/Military-Industrial-Complex watchdog, William M. Arkin has the latest on pre-emptive nucyoular war in his "Early Warning" blog at the WaPo:

"The Joint Chiefs of Staff has quietly halted preparation of a new nuclear weapons doctrine, pre-empting Congressional protests over the document's portrayal of potential nuclear first strikes against terrorists and adversaries like Iran or North Korea."
[...] Arkin reminds us, however, that "A document is being shelved. U.S. first strike nuclear weapons policy remains unchanged."
[...] "[consultant to the Natural Resources Defense Council] Kristensen said in his detailed Arms Control Today article that the draft "reaffirms ([Arkin's] emphasis) an aggressive nuclear posture of modernized nuclear weapons maintained on high alert." The Joint Staff draft incorporated pre-emption into U.S. doctrine, as well as the integration of conventional forces and missile defenses, not to reduce reliance on nuclear weapons and eventually replace them, but to complement smaller numbers of nuclear weapons and thereby make first strike and nuclear war-fighting capabilities more robust."
[...] "today's nuclear strategy is much more dangerous [Arkin's emphasis]. The Bush administration's policy is to reserve the right to use nuclear weapons even against a non-nuclear foe, even against non-state terrorists. War plans have been drafted to undertake such bolt-out-of-the-blue nuclear attacks. Surrounded by like-minded advisors who might believe that the use of nuclear weapons was necessary, that nuclear use was "in accordance with" codified nuclear policy, President Bush could push the button, brushing aside Congress, public opinion, and the legion of much saner heads in the military who are the real believers that nuclear weapons are obsolete."
[...] Arkin ends with a quote from Kristensen: ""It would certainly be interesting to hear the administration explain why the following newspaper headline could ever be in the nation's interest: "US nukes Iran: Bush says 'trust me, they were about to attack.'"

Ever heard of the "Doomsday Clock"? Just for morbid kicks, synchronize your watches with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.