Tom Brokaw goes nuclear
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In my bored stupor, I totally missed this question during the debate last night. In retrospect, the way it’s phrased seems designed to tell us more about Tom Brokaw’s energy plan (or Thomas Friedman’s) than that of John McCain or Barack Obama: Should we fund a Manhattan-like project that develops a nuclear ...
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In my bored stupor, I totally missed this question during the debate last night. In retrospect, the way it’s phrased seems designed to tell us more about Tom Brokaw’s energy plan (or Thomas Friedman’s) than that of John McCain or Barack Obama:
Should we fund a Manhattan-like project that develops a nuclear bomb to deal with global energy and alternative energy or should we fund 100,000 garages across America, the kind of industry and innovation that developed Silicon Valley?
Hmm… Silicon Valley or a nuclear bomb? Tough choice.
Still, while it’s an absurdly loaded — and probably flubbed — question, the candidates at least had answers for it. When Brokaw pushed them to name their Treasury secretary in advance or call Russia evil, I have a hard time believing that he actually expected them to respond to what he asked.
At this point, perhaps he just expects them to ignore the question and go straight to talking points anyway, so he decided to have a bit of fun.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy


At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment
Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.


How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China
As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.


What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.


Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust
Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.