anonymous@207.3.145.251 (12/12/2002 13:36:24):
December 11, 2002 -- WASHINGTON -

President Bush yesterday warned Saddam Hussein and the world that America is ready to go nuclear if the United States or its allies are attacked with weapons of mass destruction.

"The United States will continue to make clear that it reserves the right to respond with overwhelming force - including through resort to all our options - to use of WMD [weapons of mass destruction] against the United States, our forces abroad and friends and allies," said a new Bush strategy paper.

'In addition to our conventional and nuclear response and defense capabilities, our overall deterrent posture against WMD threats is reinforced by effective intelligence, surveillance, interdiction and domestic law-enforcement capabilities."

The six-page document was released yesterday, as U.S. officials pored over Saddam's declaration of weapons to hunt for falsehoods that could lead to war.

It has been U.S. policy for years to leave open the possibility of using nuclear weapons. But yesterday's release of Bush's "National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction" is clearly seen as being tied to possible military action against Iraq.

http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/64395.htm