[Carlucci]

Wow, we've made it this far and no one has suggested that this is the "object" that NASA saw near the shuttle. This is the missle that shot down the shuttle! [/tinfoil]

[Quix]

Have I been letting my tinfoil duties slip? Oh dear!

There's looney and then there's looney.

I wouldn't doubt that NKorea alone would have pulled deliberate or accidental stunts that would have left a test nose cone or warhead or component in some of the vast reaches of Alaska.

I wouldn't doubt that China could pull puppet strings with them to result in the same scenarios.

I wouldn't doubt that our government--even under beloved Bush cold have a range of reasons to pretend to ignore such things.

What the facts are is a whole 'nother range of speculations at this point.

But NKorea is a huge hazard. China is an even bigger danger but not quite as crazy and unpredictable. China will move lots of little pieces of the puzzle under the table until they are ready to spring their trap(s). They will use NKorea in the riskier, more public, probing sorts of ways.