[maxq]

Good catch - so, clearly it was a joke or an expression of cynical acceptance; nukes were never an option

[quirkafleeg]

Another joke about nuking another country?

    as defense secretary for the elder Mr. Bush,
    Mr. Cheney commissioned a study of how many 
    tactical nuclear weapons would be needed to
    take out an Iraqi Republican Guard division,
    if necessary.

    (The answer: 17.)

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/george-h...