In an interview with the Associated Press, Obama said: "...he would not use nuclear weapons “in any circumstance.” “I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance,” Mr. Obama said, with a pause, “involving civilians.” Then he quickly added, “Let me scratch that. There’s been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That’s not on the table.”
This is a mistake, in my opinion. It may indeed be that, as president, you would decide, in the internal foreign policy councils of the administration, not to use nukes. But you don't say it publicly. You don't take the use of any weapon "off the table." And that's because you don't want our enemies to have any advance knowledge, any certainty, of what we would or wouldn't do. We want our enemies uncertain, off-balance. Another mistaken foreign policy opinion, in my view, coming from young Senator Obama. Again, however, I don't know that this will hurt him with the Democratic primary electorate. It may well help him.
