Quote:
Originally Posted by jlomon
Nuking Tora Bora would have definitely killed OBL. But it wouldn't win the war on terror. OBL does not equal militant Islam. He is just the current poster boy for it. Killing him isn't going to stop this, and a thousand OBLs would rise from the ashes of that firestorm. We aren't fighting a man or a country, we're fighting a belief system.
Employing nuclear weapons would only serve to justify/reinforce the things that OBL preaches to his followers, namely that the US is a decadent, selfish and immoral country bent on world hegemony. It would be playing into his rhetoric. It would widen his support base all over the world, including inside the US. That would mean more money, more support, more people willing to die for the ideal that OBL represents. It would weaken or entirely remove the resolve of allied nations to partner with the US in this battle. This would be something of a phyrric (sp?) victory.
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I realize that. However, having him escape is also doing the same thing. Killing him alone isn't going to stop it. I have said it myself. Currently, they view us as weak because they know we go into a fight with one arm tied behind and a weight on the other leg. Nuking them will show that we will use everything in our cupboard to make it work. Currently, that is something they know we don't have the will to. I still say we would ahve less problems if we had nuked Iran all those years ago. One nuke for every week the hostages were kept.
Yes, it reinforces it but they are so believed in it at this time, it won't matter. You think they don't already believe the rethoric? This is back to the hearts and minds game. Nobody on the otherside belives or cares about it. However, a nuke would show we are serious and may keep the savages at bay for a while longer.