Posted on 12/16/2015 6:51:59 AM PST by don-o
When Donald Trump could not answer Hugh Hewittss question on the nuclear triad during the fifth GOP debate Tuesday night, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) was kind enough to take the time to explain what the nuclear triad was to him and any other Americans who may not have known.
Trump was asked to offer his opinion on which leg of the nuclear triad, decried by many as outdated, he believed was most crucial to update. The Republican frontrunner did not appear to understand the topic.
In his original answer, Trump said it was important to have a strong leader with sound judgment during perilous times. He then trailed off to talking about opposing the Iraq War and how important limiting nuclear proliferation is. The response did not touch on Hewitt's question, so he asked again.
"I think for me nuclear – the power, the devastation is very important to me," Trump said in his second attempt.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
From Free Republic:
Donald Trump on things 2016 (Hugh Hewitt Interview, August 3rd 2015)
And comment #7 by redlegplanner:
He lost me when he had no clue what the nuclear triad was.
That was August 3rd. So much for Trump's supposed photographic memory.
Hewitt asked the same questions on modernizing the nuclear triad to John Kasich, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio, and Lindsey Graham when they were guests on his radio show.
Your “Yes, but” is irrelevant.
The fact that Hugh has discussed the triad with Trump several times before, on his radio show proves it was NOT
“gotcha”.
Which entirely negates you allegation of Hugh’s desperation.
Hewitt was simply showing his ass as he often does. Doesn't matter if he told anyone ahead of time, such detailed and specialized military questions don't belong in a presidential candidate because neither the candidates nor very many of the viewers have any in-depth knowledge of such matters.
But if such questions should be asked, maybe I'll send Hugh a few suggestions he can throw at the next candidates he might interview.
1. The proper deployment of US aircraft carrier groups.
2. The proper home basing for US strategic bombers.
3. What proposed new military systems should be abandoned and which should be developed.
For a moderator who wants to show his ass, there are endless detailed and specialized questions that could be asked on many subjects. But they add little or nothing in the way of information for voters because they are too specialized and belong in the purvey of military and other professionals and experts.
Presidents make such decisions after consultation with professionals, or they delegate them.
Just another Trump gottcha from Hewitt.
I have no idea what he’s doing moderating debates—other than the GOPe’s bidding in trying to take down a non-Establishment candidate.
Mr. Trump... Dr. Carson just referenced the single most important job of the president, the command, the control and the care of our nuclear forces. And he mentioned the triad. The B-52s are older than I am. The missiles are old. The submarines are aging out. It’s an executive order. It’s a commander-in-chief decision.
What’s your priority among our nuclear triad?
Bombers. Missiles. Submarines - it's all there. Asking a person who is seeking to become Commander in Chief which part of the aging nuclear triad should be a priority is not a "gotcha" question.
Not every question that exposes a candidate's ignorance is a "gotcha" question.
Hewitt is all about gotcha.
His crowd is CNN and Politico which live to bury Trump. That triad question is idiotic because we have no money to do anything. To bs about what needs to be done is a total pipe dream. There is no money.
Trump keeps saying that without a booming economy talking about this stuff is pointless. Hewitt is a closet dem.
Then stick to building race-cars, and don't run for President.
bet Trump can explain to Marco how to build a wall and balance a checkbook
BS, BS and more BS. Not one of those candidates has the knowledge and information necessary to determine which of those three delivery systems should be the priority for modernization. And Hewitt doesn't have the knowledge to be discussing those questions. Those are questions for studies by military experts and other professionals and much consultation with a variety of experts.
But maybe Hewitt should begin asking the candidates how they would redesign From 1040 and what brand computers should be purchased by the Defense Department.
And if Trump had said that he would consult with the military to determine what they think the priority should be, then no one would be talking about his response. But he didn't. Instead, he gave an answer that suggests that he does not know what the nuclear triad is.
The question may have been a bit overly technical for an early Presidential debate, but it wasn't a "gotcha," by any stretch.
I would bet 90% of everyone in the US doesn't know what the nuclear triad is. A gotcha question only works when it's about something that practically everyone knows. Hardly anyone watching knew what the nuclear triad was so Trumps answer was just fine.
Not knowing the term Triad is not the same as not knowing that we have submarine, missile, and bomber delivery systems.
As a submariner from the 70s, I knew what the triad was. How or why could a normal person know this unless they investigated themselves. As a Cruz supporter from the beginning I definitely give Donald the pass on this. Sure all the politicians on the floor except for Trump and Carson knew because they get gov info that true outsiders don’t
As did most folks and like most folks it goes into the irrelevant fact file as you age. Not sure what this question was for other than to try a gotcha....
I haven’t even heard the term Nuclear Triad since 5th or 6th grade.
I’m not sure that’s what happened. Trump instead diverted to how dumb it is to give nukes to Iran.
If he knew it and diverted, then it’s possible he didn’t want to answer it because it would open another can of worms.
My answer would be none of those traditional means of delivering nukes. I want to deliver nuke packages clandestinely to major enemy sites around the world and have them sleeping until needed.
Most folks especially LIV don’t know what the triad is. Seems to me they’re trying to pull a Palin move on Trump. I’ve been Cruz from the beginning and will vote for him here in Texas, even though I’ll miss him as my Senator. But originally I thought no I can’t vote for Trump in the National election but seeing after last night, I can see Trump has done the apprentice on the stage and if he wins he knows who will be in his cabinet
That is so right. Let Rubio go on Jeopardy, I guessed he passed the audition. Trump can be President, and start getting this country back on the right path.
I agree with ya, even thou I’m for Cruz I’ll definitely like most folks will vote Trump over hilldabeast.
I like Cruz a lot, too. I just don’t believe he’s what we need for President right now, because I don’t think he can galvanize most of the country behind him the way Trump can.
The question on nuclear modernization is a general question on the military budget, not detailed and specialized questions. Ordinarily, the President submits a budget request to the Congress, so it is expected of Presidential candidates what their major defense budget proposals would be.
Certainly Republican primary voters deserve more details than "We're going to make our military so big, so strong and so great, so powerful that we're never going to have to use it," and "I will be so good at the military your head will spin."
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