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The nuclear codes carried by the president at all times don't launch an attack directly, but they prove the president's authority to drop the big one.

Moreover, Pelosi had every reason to be confused as to how far the president’s writ extended — in particular, whether the fact that he controlled the nuclear codes (colloquially and erroneously termed “the football”) meant that there was no check on his ability to start a nuclear war. It was a harrowing prospect. Indeed, there is no check on a president’s ability to order an attack. As former Defense Secretary William Perry has stated, “A president gains the absolute authority to start a nuclear war. Within minutes, Trump can unleash hundreds of atomic bombs, or just one. He does ...