In light of recent developments, a redo of my 2017 nuclear football thread.

Jokes about Trump and the nuclear codes are well-worn. But most people don’t realize how it all actually works, so I’m going to explain. Warning: you will find this thread distressing. Keep two concepts in mind. There’s *command* and *control*. They are exactly what they sound like. Command is the power to order a nuclear attack, or any attack really (see “National Command Authority”).

@Politidope It's almost impossible to believe he exists. It's as if we took everything that was bad about America, scraped it up off the floor, wrapped it all up in an old hot dog skin, and then taught it to make noises with its face. @Politidope I mean in its own way it's a miracle. Sure, it's the most tragic kind of miracle and it may very well cause the death of the American experiment. But still, if you step back and behold it with cosmic indifference you cannot help but be almost awestruck.

As the good people of America continue our desperate hunt for Republican courage, I thought it would be a good time to share a (very long) thread about one of my Republican heroes, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith. /1 This is especially timely in light of the President’s mention of Joseph McCarthy, because Margaret Chase Smith dealt the first blow in what would be the death of McCarthyism. Read on; it’s long, but I promise it’s worth it. /2