Today we met with a Brigadier General assigned to the National Nuclear Security Agency, within the Deoartment of Energy. They are responsible for assuring the safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile. In other words, making sure that we're the only ones who get to use it to blow mankind to smithereens, and only if we mean to do it, but if we do, that we actually can pull it off.

I know that you're imagining General Buck Turgidson, the George C Scott character from "Dr Strangelove," who advised the President that we just might be able to "catch the Russkies with their pants down." It actually wasn't like that at all. It's interesting to note that the senior military officers who are responsible for this stuff have spent at least half of their careers since the end of the Cold War.

We were there to talk about the mission of the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Labs, which are in Congressman Garamendi's district. We went on to meet with Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, who used to run the Lawrence Berkeley lab. There's a guy who knows a thing or two.

Two more days until the vote on health care . . . .