the nucular threat

[lmpshd]

A question to my readers living in the United States (in other words, almost all of you)... I'd make this a poll, but I don't know how to do that and this isn't going to be the evening to learn.

How many of you were aware that Obama, in his speech in Prague on Sunday, said the following?

So today, I state clearly and with conviction America's

Comments

[usernamenumber]

Haven't been keeping up with news much this week, but noticed this as one of the main stories on CNN's "situation room", which was playing at the restaurant I was at.

[contradictacat]

The Metro, at least, did mention the line, but it didn't play it up that much.

Personally, I think the line may have been more emphasized in Europe b/c of more known nuclear /power/ being used there, whereas in the States it's more "NOOOO NUCULAR BAAAAD". Or it could just be me.

[lmpshd]

I don't really see the logic, and it depends which parts of Europe you're talking about... in France nuclear power is a staple of modern life, in Germany it's the Big Bad Environmental Disaster waiting to happen.

You see, it makes sense to me that this should be perceived as a big deal, and I don't get why the US apparently doesn't perceive it that way. Have we just gotten complacent with the knowledge that the Cold War is over and we have a much larger arsenal than anyone else? There's also the important historical fact which we sometimes forget but everyone else is quite aware of: much as we like to talk about the threat of someone else using a nuclear weapon, we're the only country who's ever done so.

[mirandageegaw]

I don't follow politics at all but I knew that this had happened b/c it was all over the Guardian front page, FWIW.

[lmpshd]

Interesting to know that it got the same reception in Britain as on the continent.

[daproofpimp]

This was not reported on the arxiv, so I didn't hear about it.

[lmpshd]

*slap*

[daproofpimp]

More seriously, after reading about this here, I have since come across reasonably prominent US news on the subject. In particular, Stanford is having a panel discussion this evening with two prominent Clinton and Reagan era nuclear proliferation advisors. Clearly this topic is now on the radar.

[pucette]

Yeah I saw the headlines for it the morning after North Korea's little launch... I personally don't think it'll ever happen, or if it does by some miracle, we'll just invent something different and/or worse, so I sort of blocked any future news about it out of my mind.

[jholomorphic]

front page of today's la times.