Farewell to Jim Schlesinger

There is never a good time to lose a man of James Schlesinger’s prodigious capabilities.  He served with distinction in top government posts under presidents of both parties.

But we can especially ill-afford at this juncture the loss of Dr. Schlesinger’s extraordinary corporate memory about nuclear weaponry and deterrence.

He rightly warned for years about our aging – and increasingly obsolescing – nuclear arsenal and its supporting infrastructure. He was alarmed by attrition among those few who, like him, actually knew how to assure our deterrent’s reliability, safety and effectiveness.

Dr. Schlesinger also rejected the delusion that it is possible – or even desirable – to try to “rid the world of nuclear weapons,” especially if the practical effect is to eliminate just ours.

We should commemorate Jim Schlesinger’s passing by heeding such sound advice.