Read on Twitter
Folks, I don't think the "start testing nukes" crap is coming from Trump. I know we love the explanation that he wants to play with "the nuclear," but always remember how fundamentally stupid he is, and how much he doesn't know about any of this. This is coming from others. /1
There's a group of people in industry, think tanks, the military, and consulting firms who really miss the Cold War emphasis on nukes, because it was their life's work. It's all they know, and back in the day, the money was good and nukes were the A-list thing to work on. /2
I was on the edge of that world for a while in the 80s, and it paid well and there was plenty of work. The end of the Cold War put an end to all that, and presidents of both parties defunded the nuclear enterprises and reduced their importance. This did not sit well with them. /3
By 2016, the nuclear guys had been sent to the back row for over 25 years. GHWB got rid of SAC and created STRATCOM, WJC reduced alert status, GWB pushed numbers way low, Obama signed New START. (Irony: Most arms control was done by GOP White Houses, but credit all around.) /4
For years, the nuclear fan club has been *itching* to get back in the driver's seat, for reasons that range from prestige to money to just lousy strategic thinkers. But they needed a President stupid enought to let them loose without interference. They finally got one. /5
Trump is the President and he owns all this, but just remember that Trump is dumber than toast and he wouldn't know if we're testing nukes or making ICBMs out of origami. People around him - and on the Hill - are pushing this stuff. He's just the patsy signing off on it. /6
Don't get too focused on Trump. He has no idea what's going on. Look to the people around him, the people in industry, the right-wing think-tankers, and especially the people who allied with them in the GOP Senate. That's who's doing all this. /7x
