Would the US respond by nuking a city full of civilians? Nope. Not even if doing so saved the lives of twice as many killed. We'd pick the civilians off piec

Would the US respond by nuking a city full of civilians? Nope. Not even if doing so saved the lives of twice as many killed. We'd pick the civilians off piecemeal with drones and other airstrikes, but not a nuke. The former is easy for politicians to justify ("terrorism!"); the latter requires conviction, the ability to plan several moves beyond the immediate crisis, and the capability to coherently explain and justify such actions to the American people. The individuals at the upper echelons of the civilian and military segments of the U.S. Government at present lack these traits. And this isn't exclusive to any one particular political party.