Trump: Unfit and Unstable Yet Has His Finger Near the Nuclear Button

Does he need a rational logical reason, or simple anger

Can anyone stop Trump if he wants to push “the nuclear button?” 

That is, can someone / anyone safe guarded nuclear codes from Trump acting irrationally in a preemptive war state of mind?

Actually, no. Trump as the CINC alone has the ultimate power to “throw the switch or push the button and order a nuclear strike.” No one else has that power or authority but here is a lesson in history from this fine Newsweek article and review – the highlights:

As a practical matter, simply passing a law won’t necessarily restrain presidential war making authority (first strike for example without us being attacked).

Our experience with the War Powers Resolution (WPR) makes that clear, thus:

If the WPR does anything, it bars the continuation of hostilities beyond 60 days unless Congress has declared war or passed a specific statutory authorization for war.

In fact, “the view that the 60-day clock is constitutional has remained consistent executive branch law throughout the Reagan, Bush-Quayle, Clinton, Bush-Cheney, and Obama administrations.”

Twice in recent decades presidents have blown by that limit: first in Kosovo in 1999, and second in Libya in 2011. Each time, the clear language of the law didn’t matter: the president ordered the military to keep bombing, and they did.

The military upon receiving that order must obey and respond quickly without question; otherwise their only option would be a full-blown military coup and in American history, that would be a first. Then of course, we’ve never had someone like Trump as CINC, either… so “roll the dice” as it were and take our chances.

But he could get pissed off at the people around him sounding the alarm about how wrong and deadly his one-man show would be. Then he might just walk off the job:

To hell with this job, I'm outta here 

Trump’s stability and mental sanity is starting to get some attention. And, with his proven deeds in the past and personality, he might “push the button” just to save his own ass. Things like this might push him over the proverbial edge as it were.

Are you willing to do that – to take that chance? And, here we are today, sort of.

Thanks for stopping by.