Bush in ‘Nature’ on New Nukes by John Fleck

There’s one question in particular — on nuclear weapons — that’s of direct relevance to the New Mexico scientific enterprise:

Do you support research into new nuclear-weapon designs in the United States? If not, how do you see the future role of the three nuclear-weapons labs? …

Kerry’s response to Nature’s question was clear and unambiguous: “I would end the pursuit of a new generation of nuclear weapons.”

[Bush’s response:] “The Nuclear Posture Review released by my administration in January 2002 noted that the nation?s nuclear infrastructure had atrophied since the end of the cold war and that the evolving security environment requires a flexible and responsive weapons-complex infrastructure. To that end, my fiscal-year 2005 budget reflects an increase over 2004 in weapons activities.”

I think it is good of John to bring this issue up again. Do you vote for your pocketbook or saving the world from ‘tactical nuclear weapons’ (as in, ‘we have them, why not use them?’ and ‘oops, we’ve misplaced several.’) Just how smart are those lab rats?

On the other hand, I disagree with John; Bush couldn’t be more clear — he will build little bombs and use them. It is funny to see Bush take a hundred words to say something and Kerry only a dozen. mjh

[Follow the link above to John’s blog entry and from there to his original article and the Nature questionaire submitted to Bush & Kerry.]