This is the key part here, IMO: "... because the tanks, which often weigh more than 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads, the source said." An Abrams tank r

This is the key part here, IMO: "... because the tanks, which often weigh more than 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads, the source said." An Abrams tank ranges from 54 to 65 tons (108,000 to 130,000 pounds or ~49,000 to ~59,000 kg) in weight and is 32 feet (9.7m) in length, including the main gun. They can not only chew up the roads, but their length could make maneuvering through DC rather difficult. As for missiles, if you look at the Patriot system hauled on a HEMTT, it's even less maneuverable. The HEMTT is even longer and taller than the Abrams by default; I don't know how much additional room the launcher itself would require. For all the talk of "optics" here, I think it was the practical implementation that shut things down before any sociopolitical aspects were considered.