Still more dangerously, by treating nuclear weapons as just another explosive in the arsenal, rather than as a deterrent weapon of last resort, America would dangerously blur the line against nuclear use by anyone.

ECONOMIST: Why some weapons are best left unexplored

In other words, despite the fact that Russia's once-and-future president is not going along - and, for that matter, neither is any other nuclear weapon state, the Obama administration blithely plans to reset America's deterrent.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Putin's reset