[JPhillips]

Thank God those of you calling for a nuclear strike aren't in charge of anything more than your keyboards.

Without discussing the moral implications, the effects of our using a nuke first would devestate us.

First, you can be sure that oil imports would be effected. We'd probably lose ME oil, Venezuela and Russia. We can't maintain our way of life without oil.

Second, China would almost certainly punish us economically. Since we don't make much of anything and China makes a lot of what we need, we'd be screwed. Again there goes our way of life.

Third, it would facilitate a major realignment of world powers. NATO wouldn't survive and the end result would be a Europe that is mostly against us, China gaining influence in the Far East and probably the return of a confrontational Russia.

But of course from the cockpit of your keyboard I'm sure a nucular attack is almost irresistible. All the colors and fire and dead Arabs....