McCain calls for slashing U.S. nuclear arsenal

CNN ^ | 5/27/08 | staff

[pissant]

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- The United States should scrap a significant portion of its nuclear arsenal, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday in a speech laying out his nuclear security policy.

McCain also spoke about canceling the development of nuclear "bunker-busting" bombs and working with Russia and China to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

"Today we deploy thousands of nuclear warheads. It is my hope to move as rapidly as possible to a significantly smaller force," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said at the University of Denver.

Protesters interrupted McCain's speech four times. The hecklers were escorted out of the room and shouted down by others in the audience chanting the candidate's name.

"This may turn into a longer speech than you had anticipated," McCain said with a wry grin after one of the interruptions.

[Mogollon]

Being from Arizona I should expect this kind of crap from McQueeg but I kept hoping he would do something to give me a reason for not doing the same thing I did in 2006 on election day (I wrote myself in for McCains’ senate seat).

[wolfcreek]

“He must be smoking Jimson weed..”

And it transformed him into a skinny black dude with big ears and a bitchy wife.

Question: Where’s the difference?

[wolfcreek]

“If you can live with Obama or Hillary as President”

McQueeg and Obama said basically the same thing.

They wouldn’t belong to the same think tank would they?

[Cecily]

No matter who gets elected, I think we Americans are in for a world of hurt for at least four long years. What sorry, sorry specimens all three of the clowns still in the race are.

[LibWhacker]

Thirteen hundred warheads, or about 10%. Small potatoes compared to what McCain is talking about.

[SolidWood]

McQueeg and Obama said basically the same thing.

Nuclear arsenal reductions were done by Ford and Bush on GOP side, and by Carter and Clinton on Dem side. It's nothing new and nothing shocking.

[SolidWood]

Clinton cut the nuclear arsenal by half.

[river rat]

Finally, McCain has a good idea.
I’m all for it — so long as the nuclear weapons are reduced in number by detonating them above our enemy’s heads....

I’m sure we could come up with the legitimate use for at least a couple of hundred of the smaller ones in this manner.....

If they can’t - I would be happy to present a proposed “target list”............EASY.

[reagan_fanatic]

McCain also spoke about canceling the development of nuclear "bunker-busting" bombs and working with Russia and China to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

[SolidWood]

Correction: Clinton reduced the stockpile from 18,290 to 12,500. Quadruple than your 1300 figure.

[Silver Dany]

Although nukes are important as a deterrent, they are very dangerous. They are very scary, the way people die is the most painful. I mean your skin can literally melt off. However the a small tactical nuclear weapon may have more appropriate uses on military structures rather than strategic weapons. Therefore I do still agree with the continued construction of bunker-buster nukes.

[pissant]

Ha! I remember that episode.

[SolidWood]

Welcome at FreeRepublic.

[JamesP81]

The McCain detractors of course will welcome this... but before you enter into a total McCain slamming session, read this:

Bush reduced nuke arsenal:

You can't justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. Especially egregious is McCain's plan to cancel the nuclear-bunker buster program.

[JamesP81]

But for the sake of intellectual honesty, don't act as if this is some McCain crock.

Granted, McCain didn't come up with the idea. Nevertheless, he's wrong by continuing to pursue bad policies. So, again, why should I support him?

[SouthTexas]

McCain called for slashing! Two minutes in the penalty box!

[JamesP81]

Keep talking, McCain, and you’ll drive away my vote in November.

To quote someone else, just when I thought McCain had said the stupidest thing ever, he kept talking.

[SE Mom]

It doesn’t matter - I can’t stand McCain- and being who he is- he is unlikely to change my mind. I’ll vote for him though- because even though I can’t stand him- he doesn’t seriously terrify me as Obama does.

[mass55th]

"bombs and working with Russia and China to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons."

Too late, they've already spread them...to all our (other) enemies.