WORRISOME INDO/PAK NUKEWAR UPDATE: A reader who works at a nuclear-weapons lab informs me that you can cobalt-jacket ordinary atomic bombs, not just thermonuclear ones. Oh, happy day. He doubts that either the Indians or Pakistanis would do that, though. Hope he’s right. He says that fallout downrange won’t be radiation-sickness bad, but it’ll produce increased cancer risks, and advises having some iodine pills handy, since having plenty of normal iodine in your body cuts down on the uptake of radioactive iodine. That’s true, but it doesn’t do anything for the strontium and cesium.

For those who wrote about my comment on smallpox/plague-bearing missiles — I thought it was obvious, but I meant instead of atomic warheads, not in addition to atomic warheads. Indeed, for that matter, if you’ve got more missiles than nukes, a chemical warhead aimed at a city can be pretty destructive. It won’t kill as many people, but it’ll kill a lot, and it’ll spread devastating panic.

Just a few thoughts to brighten your morning.