Chicago Tribune | U.S. Rolls Out Nuclear Plan

The Bush administration Wednesday unveiled a blueprint for rebuilding the nation’s decrepit nuclear weapons complex, including restoration of a large-scale bomb manufacturing capacity.

The plan calls for the most sweeping realignment and modernization of the nation’s massive system of laboratories and factories for nuclear bombs since the end of the Cold War.

Until now, the nation has depended on carefully maintaining aging bombs produced during the Cold War arms race, some several decades old. The administration, however, wants the capability to turn out 125 new nuclear bombs per year by 2022, as the Pentagon retires older bombs that it says will no longer be reliable or safe.

Why in the hell do we need 125 new bombs per year? It’s not about deterrence, it’s about having a nice stash of more modern, more easily protected, more portable tactical weapons. Sure, the old bombs are becoming decrepit. They also don’t fit in the back of a Hummer, or in a carry-on.