Elect the Guy Who Can Prevent This

Keeping terrorists from striking US with nukes is next president's only real goal

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 9, 2008 12:40 PM CDT

(Newser) – Fannie and Freddie, health-care reform, and Wasilla, Alaska, are just meaningless election “commentary” to Jeffrey Goldberg, who writes in the New York Times that nuclear terrorism is the only issue that matters. Proliferation experts say the chance of a terrorist group detonating an atomic bomb in the US could be as high as 50%. And neither candidate seems wholly prepared.

Barack Obama takes the issue seriously, and he’s far from the “squashy caricature drawn by his opponents.” But Goldberg fears he’ll be afraid to take preemptive action, scared off by George Bush’s Iraq adventure. John McCain doesn’t have that problem, but he has several others: He’s not cautious enough, and worse, seems unclear on who we’re actually fighting. America must demand these men debate the issue, Goldberg says, “because nothing else matters.”

[Images (3)]

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A nuclear attack is a clear, real danger, writes Jeffrey Goldberg. (Getty Images)

Jeffrey Goldberg says proliferation experts think the chance of attack is as high as 50%. (Getty Images)

For Jeffrey Goldberg, every issue other than nuclear proliferation is just decoration. (Archive Photos)

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We have one presidential candidate who still seems to be casting about for an overarching strategy; and another one who is not entirely sure whom we’re fighting. - Jeffrey Goldberg

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Elect the Guy Who Can Prevent This