North Korea is reportedly preparing to launch its scariest missile yet, one whose 4,000-mile range gives it the potential to reach Alaskan soil. Rest assured, Sarah Palin is, no doubt, vigilantly scanning the western horizon as we speak. But apart from the growing security threat posed by an increasingly belligerent rogue state, North Korea’s missile launches are becoming a nuisance for another reason: They happen to occur at the most inconvenient times for President Obama. On the morning of April 5, right before Obama laid out his vision for a nuke-free world during a speech in Prague, North Korea test-launched a long-range rocket capable of carrying a warhead. Last week, when Obama’s announcement of his Supreme Court nomination would have normally received undivided attention, news outlets were also forced to cover more missile launches. And this next launch may coincide with Obama’s meeting with South Korea’s president on June 16. The Obama administration may be relatively unflappable, but if there’s one thing that could really set them off, it’s continually overshadowing their carefully planned, highly prized publicity events.
