In parting remarks, exiting Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld warned of weakness being provocative. What he was saying is that perception of weakness invites war. Regretfully, that ideology was grossly misapplied in this new age of terrorist enemies.
Rumsfeld's argument is that it is not enough to sit atop the world's largest nuclear arsenal or the most advanced military capacity the world has ever witnessed. His argument implies one must use it to prove one is not weak. But, I would argue that Rumsfeld is wrong. As a Lt. Cmdr. in the movie Crimson Tide says, "You don't put on a condom if you aren't going to screw". In other words, contrary to Rumsfeld's argument, having invested in the largest, most capable military on the face of the earth, is in fact, sufficient evidence to all reasonable persons, that one is willing to use it if attacked.
