This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on January 27, 2005). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Something interesting (sorry if I’m repeating someone above): ‘nuclear’ is the adjectival form of ‘nucleus’, which comes from the Latin ‘nuculeus’, from ‘nucula’ the diminutive of ‘nux’, meaning ‘nut’. So the at some point the ‘u’ between the ‘c’ and ‘l’ was dropped (and at that point would have probably been considered a mispronunciation).
My theory – it’s Bush’s comprehensive knowledge of and fluency in Latin that leads to his pronunciation.
“Al-Salooq” by Ozric Tentacles from the album Arborescence (1994, 5:02).