"Alternately, the US could have activated anti-missile defense systems and taken all three of them down immediately after their launch. So far, the news reports do not address that possibility. We moved a lot of those assets to the theater when Kim staged the rocket. Could we have had three successful tests of that system? If so, we may have neutered the threat from both North Korea and Iran. That's wishful thinking, and unless the administration starts talking about that soon, we can probably discount that possibility. [ I rather doubt that we did shoot them down, though it's not outside the range of possibility. I did catch an amusing debate between a Republican and Democrat congressman today where the Demo blathered on about how we're bogged down in Iraq but the Repub pointed out that if the Demos had their way we would have NO anti missile system at all! So what exactly would we be "focusing" on the NorKorComs and Iranians WITH? No surprise, the Demo insisted that we would be making alliances to work against them. Which is nigh on lunacy -- we have created alliances until the cows come home in BOTH of these cases... -ed. ]

Whatever happened, one fact is certain: Kim has been caught with his pants down."