“Israel would never do that,” President Trump said, when questioned about whether Israel might use a nuclear weapon against Iran.

Never? If you would never use a weapon, under any circumstances, what’s the use of having that weapon?

I know the standard answer to that question: The purpose of nuclear weapons is to deter other countries from using nuclear weapons. But that answer begs the question. If you would never use a nuke, how does it deter anything?

Oh, you say that the enemy knows that if he used nukes, you’d fire back with your own nukes? A whole lotta good it would do then.

Nuclear weapons pose a paradox for military strategy. There is never a good time to use them. So although they’re the most powerful weapon ever devised, it’s hard to see what advantage is gained by their possession.