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Trump’s loose talk about nuclear weapons – not that far from USA’s official position

Republican hawk (Trump)Trump’s nuclear nightmare His loose talk on the ultimate weapon isn’t so different from official doctrine, but it plays into Clinton’s attacks on his temperament, nonetheless, Politico, By  08/03/16  “…………Trump’s comments about nuclear weapons, which many experts call dangerously glib and uninformed, and which play into the Democratic strategy of portraying him as unfit to handle the nuclear codes.

That seemed clear from a new Fox News poll released Wednesday showing that 56 percent of voters believe that Clinton would make better decisions about nuclear weapons, with just 34 trusting Trump more.

Trump has repeatedly declined to rule out the use of nuclear weapons, saying he reserves the option to use them in Europe and the Middle East. Trump has also said he might welcome seeing certain U.S. allies, including Japan, acquire atomic arms to better defend themselves without U.S. assistance………

“He talks about nuclear weapons very loosely, casually—as if they’re just another tool in the toolbox,” said Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a nonprofit that advocates nuclear arms reductions.

While Trump’s comments have drawn widespread condemnation, they do not defy America’s nuclear doctrine, which reserves the right to use nuclear weapons—even as a “first strike” against an adversary fighting with only conventional weapons.

There are some exceptions: The Obama administration has said it will “not use or threaten to use” nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states that have signed and are in compliance with the nuclear nonproliferation treaty……….

he does not discuss the issue with the nuance of foreign policy experts and insiders, who choose their words with extreme care, and, when possible, avoid discussing nuclear strikes entirely.

Trump has also unnerved observers with his apparent unfamiliarity with U.S. nuclear doctrine. When asked during a December primary debate whether he would eliminate any part of the so-called nuclear triad — which consists of land, air and sea-based weapons — Trump seemed unaware of the concept……..

Trump’s defense of the right to use nuclear weapons also comes at a time when President Barack Obama is considering issuing an executive order that would change U.S. policy to rule out the first use of a nuclear weapon.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign squarely targeted the concept of a nuclear-armed Trump during last week’s Democratic National Convention. “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons,” Clinton said in her nomination acceptance speech, echoing several other speakers.

And since mid-June the pro-Clinton Super PAC Priorities Action USA has been airing an advertisement that features audio of Trump saying, “I love war, in a certain way,” immediately followed by a different clip in which Trump says, “including with nukes, yes, including with nukes.”

Clinton advisers say they believe the prospect of Trump commanding America’s arsenal of 7,200 atomic weapons is a highly effective way of crystallizing voter anxieties about the New York mogul’s temperament……….http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-226639

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August 5, 2016 - Posted by | USA elections 2016

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