Doesn't This Man Play Poker?

I have to start this post with a disclaimer.  I don't play poker.  I don't object to the game; I simply do not have the skill set required.  Bluffing is not something I do well.  However, I can think of instances where bluffing would be a useful skill (politics, diplomacy, international relations, etc.).

Yesterday the New York Times reported on President Obama's plan to make nuclear weapons obsolete.  As part of that plan, he renounced the development of any new nuclear weapons and limited the circumstances under which America would respond to an attack with nuclear weapons. 

There are a few troubling things here.  There are a number of bullies in the world right now--Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Russia.  I have put Venezuela in this category because of the recent strengthening of their ties to Russia.  Bluffing can be an effective weapon in dealing with a bully--telling the bully that you will limit your response to his attacks is not an effective response.  Allowing a bully to develop a more powerful weapon while you disarm is also not a wise strategy.

We may not like the fact that America has, in the past, been the final stopgap against bullies, but right now, we are the only stopgap left.  We step down from that role at our own peril.