The Tunguska discussion got me curious. Does anybody know if the President of the USA has the authority to direct that nuclear weapons be launched to either destroy--or more likely deflect--an oncoming asteroid or comet? I want to stress that I'm not interested in anyone's opinion of President Bush, Senators Clinton or PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER., Al Gore, John Kerry, or Fred Thompson, so let's keep the politics out of it. Rather, I'm interested in a purely theoretical discussion of what exactly would have to happen before such a launch took place. Here are some points to ponder:

1. Would the President need the consent of Congress to launch? (I don't think so.)
2. If not, would he need their approval for the funding? (Probably.)
3. Should the U.N. be consulted? (Remember, no politics. I know, I know, this one might be hard.)
4. Are such plans already in place? (IMO, if not they oughta be.)

I'm aware that there are other ideas being considered for "planetary defense" but they are years away. Nukes are available now. Thoughts?