A destabilizing bit of research

[struggle4progress]

By The New York Times News Service

The Bush administration's regressive plan to develop powerful "bunker busting" nuclear weapons was held in check last year only after Congress failed to come up with research money. <snip>

Fears of a new nuclear arms race had kept this and a companion plan for smaller weapons bottled up for years under a congressional ban.

But the administration overcame Capitol resistance two years ago, insisting research was needed on more precise nuclear weapons to use against mobile and underground targets. If anything, the events of the past two years - particularly the faulty to nonexistent intelligence on Iraq - provide further caution against providing Pentagon planners with new nuclear options for hit-and-miss stratagems. Even underground nuclear explosions would spew masses of radioactive material into the sky. <snip>

One approving lawmaker told CQ Today that an opening appropriation of $8.5 million would serve as an "attention getter" for North Korea. Right, and for the rest of the world too - undermining the administration's calls for nuclear restraint. Although Congress has only authorized research, everyone knows the military procurement tap is hard to wrench closed once the research money flows. <snip>

http://www.benningtonbanner.com/Stories/0,1413,104~8670~2749082,00.html

[aquart]

1. Invincible stupidity.

[Enquiringkitty]

2. OK...Let me get this straight. Put a man into the UN who is rude and

insulting, Get into a war no one wants, P*ss off everybody in EU, make your own people poorer, let your elderly fend for themselves with no money, Let the Elderly remain sick by taking away half of Medicare, and insist God speaks to you. If anyone walked onto any hospital and tell the doctors all of this should be true, they'd be locked up and medicated.

[villager]

3. welcome to Asylum USA!

n/t

[FloridaPat]

4. He's been working on this since he got into office. Think about it.

He can hit the button anytime he thinks we're under attack - militarily or economically - PNAC is our national statement.

No pesky civilians running around screaming for voting and rights. No civilian bodies period. No need for the draft. Just a few bombs. Will be a bit of a mess when the oil fields are radioactive though. And since the No Child Left Behind Act forces schools to accept military recruiters, everyone in this country should be able to see where these idiots are bringing.

[Meeker Morgan]

5. Hmm. Iran has underground factories ...

... for enriching uranium, so they say.

This is not a "just in case" weapon like the H-bomb.