U.S. official: North Korea likely deceived U.S., allies before launching rocket
By Barbara Starr
North Korea likely engaged in a deliberate campaign of deception before a December 12 long-range missile launch, catching the United States and its Asian allies "off guard," according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of analysis of the incident conducted by U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
The official told CNN that American and Japanese military ships and missile defenses were fully operational and protecting land, sea and airspace on December 12, but that the launch was a surprise when it actually happened.
"We had our dukes up, operationally, but we were caught off guard," the official said.
"The clues point to a concerted effort to deceive us," the official said. The analysis was ordered in the wake of the launch to determine what exactly happened and how much the U.S. intelligence knew at the time.
The official said one conclusion was that while missile defenses can fully protect against a North Korean attack, the North Koreans have shown they can counter U.S. measures to gather intelligence about what they are up to.
"Look, they know when our satellites are passing overhead," the official said. It's believed the North Koreans essentially manipulated the launch so U.S. intelligence satellites simply would not be overhead and able to see what was happening.
The most likely scenario, the official said, was that North Korea wasn't telling the truth when it announced several days before the launch that there were technical problems with the missile.
According to the official, the intelligence analysis found that:
- The United States observed the North Koreans beginning to take apart the three-stage rocket and move parts of it away from the launch pad, then observed what were believed to be so-called replacement parts being moved in.
- In retrospect, those parts appear to have been from a second, older-generation long-range missile that were in storage. Those parts most likely were never used in the December 12 launch.
During this time, when the United States did not have total visibility of the launch site, it's believed the North Koreans either quickly reassembled the original rocket and fired it.
- It's also possible the U.S. miscalculated and the North Koreans never took it apart at all.
Earlier this week, South Korean defense officials warned that the latest North Korean missile had the capability to travel more than 6,000 miles, meaning this type of rocket could strike the United States. However, experts do not believe Pyongyang has a nuclear warhead small enough to fly on the kind of missile.
North Korean officials claimed that the rocket launch succeeded in putting a satellite in orbit.
CNN's Paula Hancocks and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
I think we should send them over a few rockets just to show them that we know how to do it right!
Launch your puny missile at us you Inmin Gun! We'll shoot it down before it even gets close! Anna Hurst my a**. Tell your dear leader that we have no fear of his puny f****** missile which can't even carry a nuclear warhead. We have nuclear submarines sitting right off your coast ready to lay waste to your entire nation! Tell that to that fat moron Kim Jong Un!
'devastate your country'. hahahaha Pretty sure NKorea is already devastated!
THis is really scary – so this missile is capable of making it to the USA?? If I were an American citizen I would be really worried!!
NIce try you North Korean stooge!
When are you going to realize that living in North Korea is about the worst possible existence you could experience? You may be well fed as an intelligence officer but all of your countrymen are dying of starvation. You are a traitor to your own people!
While 6000 miles means "technically" it could make it to the US, I think you can be quite sure it would be shot down WAAAAAY before it even got close if it even drifted a degree in the US's direction.
F@!K OFF. ass hole
Just wanted to clarify who i was telling to f@!k off to, the stooge who commented about being a scares U.S citizen,F@!k off again.
It could make it this far if they knew what they were doing.
Yawn!!! You and your ignorant NK propaganda machine won't work here... Good luck even getting a rocket off the coast of your crappy little hole of a country if it even so dares as to veer towards the US. There are lots of Naval vessels and Military bases between NK and the US with the capabilities to shoot it down. Of course you guys think it will work because well you also believe that the person that found your country came down on a unicorn too...
Do you know they launched this missile secretly?? Because they are planning an attack on thie USA! Believe me AMerica you had better have your antenna up because they have there sights set on you. This launch just shows that they are able to do it!
Ann Hurst is a North Korean intel officer. Why else would she be telling us to be scared when NK poses so little threat to the US?
I'm shaking.
I'm with Diomedes! "Anna" is either an NK stooge ... or just a loser trolling for comments because "she" doesn't have any friends.
Even I knew about this missile launch days prior. It was all over the news. Now the government is trying to tell me that they were caught with their pants down? Nice try.
US was not fooled it just pretend outsmarted but was not
They should have shot it down. End of story.
Oh my! You mean we can't take North Korean public announcements as being 100% truthful? Who would have thought?
I wonder how much this investigation cost? Because I could have told them they were deceived, for free.
They're here. Yes...I tell you, I went in for a hair cut. I came out looking like the kid leader...no kidding, just like that Kim Jong Un. I even gave the barber a tip before I realized what he had done.
The US does not own the space. Get a life you people. Other people can also launch harmless satelites. Why are you guys always paranoid about being attacked. You must know how it feels to be the other guy (the guys you people always attack to take their lives and properties)...Mtchewww.
Maybe because we're talking about NK? Derp
We wouldn't have to be paranoid if people stopped attacking us
I certainly don't like the NK's, but one must sometimes even tip their hat to the enemy when something is so well played. Not much harm done, we were still able to collect data on the rocket, and we are reminded not to underestimate the NK's.
Don't over-estimate them either. Remember what happened the last time we over-estimated a nation's WMD programs?
Sorry we were busy at that time with Bibi yahoo of Israel.
President Obama: "Huh? what? launched what? Where's my pants? "
I like your sense of humor.
"where's my pants"? You're obviously a genius. Remember subject-verb agreement?
Lets get rid of N. Korea now, they are a pest to peace!
So let's start a war and then we'll be a real peacemaker?
NK shouldnt even exist, this is what happens when you negotiate a truce with psychopaths. We should look at this and see its reflections in the uneasy truce between Israel and Hamas, another group of psychopathic genocidal maniacs. Negotiating with those you do not follow the same rules of decorum is a stop gap for them while they increase their arms, NK did, Hamas will too, mark my words, you cannot negotiate a peace with crazies, only a cease fire while they resupply.
We do it to other nations every day. Not sure why someone returning the "favor" would be a surprise....
Sometimes our government lies to spread misinformation to achieve strategic intelligence objectives. It is to OUR advantage for the NK to believe that they put one over on us, that our intelligence capabilities (in this regard are flawed) and our technology has serious shortcomings which they can exploit. Why would we do this? For EXACTLY the same reasons we and the Russians did this during the cold war ... to create a sense of complacency and to keep the rival in the dark concerning our true capabilities. I can give lots of examples. With years of practice with the Russians, we're pretty good at it.
Do you REALLY think we don't have a bird either permanently over NK in geosynchronous orbit and/or maneuvered to be over NK anytime launch preparations? My guess is that we had two: High res. imaging satellite and a telemetry gathering one. Trust me, the launch bloom was detected virtually instantaneously and data gathering began at that instant.
The unfortunate side of this misinformation tactic is we citizens get faked out, too, which is an unfortunate requirement.
Finally, a sensible analysis. Thank you 1%er.
These Glenn Beck idiots think that US satellites simply stop their patrol because it gets dark outside as if satellites need some rest. They don't understand that the US has continuous global satellite coverage over almost 100% of the planet at any one time.
Nice posting with the exception of using the term "trust me". I usually regard postings with "I guarantee that", "Believe me", "Trust me", etc... to be BS postings. That someone must include such terms in a posting to back up what they have written seems like statements backed up with nothing at all. Again, I find your posting to be a pretty good one.
Our Administration in DC drops the ball once again...Just like Libya..What a bunch of yahoos we have running our governement these days. Maybe we ought to send the White House a book on "North Korea Lies for Dummies in WA DC"
just like 9/11 during the Bush admin. Our intel needs some revamping.
Are you comparing a clandestine terrorist organization to a country with a launch pad in plain view? Get a grip on reality!
or maybe we should all run to the nearest walmart and buy up all the bullets so we can um? I dunno use them on our neighbors or school children
Then run for office and show us how its done.
Right. Though so. Return to your gaming.
You forgot the 't'...You must of had an injured game paddle finger. I think nearly any normal American would have sent help to our guys in Libya. Maybe just not you.
you don't think maybe the US is trying to deceive North Korea with this report? why does everyone feel that secret military intelligence should be shared with the public? absurd. we still don't know the whole truth, and never will.
Is it because you refuse to remember the intelligence blunders of the previous administration, or is it simply because you were three years old then?
The truth is we will never go into war with NK. They have nothing of interest to us, i.e., oil and other natural resources. Aren't nukes considered weapons of mass destruction?
FYI: South Korea is at war with North Korea right now...
this is why there are so many idiotic ideas cuz so many people are ignorant
That apparently is the pot calling the kettle black
Maybe Mr Obama should send them a letter letting them know how upset this makes him. That should make them think twice... Apparently our intelligence capabilities are anything but.
or maybe we should INVADE North Korean lower taxes even more to pay for it, watch South Korea get obliterated cuz we are arrogant couch quarterback buffoons
What are you talking about? Lowering taxes? Are you drunk?
sounds like someone crying theirs no crying in the spy business
maybe North Korea can donate money to the USA cuz We the People thought SHOCK AND AWE was FREE and cut taxes year after year to not pay for it
No, we pay for it by borrowing from China! Silly...Now, we just print whatever we need.....Our own government is artificially keeping everything afloat. When the rest of the world stops honoring our $, then what? All the balls hit the floor and our markets collapse, really collapse....Worse than 1929
North Korea deceptive?!? That's not fair. The USA has always been upfront in making sure that we don't keep any military secrets from any of our enemies.
With Obama as President it is easy to deceive the USA, he knows nothing about nothing!!!
8 years of bush couldnt be outdone by a know nothing monkey...
too bad Cheney didnt know he was supposed to use an AR15 to hunt pheasant
And you must think Romney would have been an intelligence gathering guru?..We see how that little fantasy worked out,didn't we?
Are you trying to convince people that they can't be truly "American" unless they view Obama as a know-nothing?
Guess what, bud? I'm as American as you are, and maybe somewhat more so, because I don't cuddle up to lies the way you do. Especially Fox/Republican-generated lies that tell you what you WANT to hear, and you then believe it. You're very likely racist, and they validate your hate for you, so you feel even better about it.
What rankles them – and you too, it seems – is the fact that Obama DOES know quite a lot. Enough to thwart Republican efforts to eliminate our middle class. Enough to generate a program designed to fix our shattered health care system – and even get it passed in spite of Republican obstructionism.
He's not only knowledgeable, he's courageous and determined to serve the best interests of the middle class, the people whom the Republicans want to impoverish.
Unless you are, yourself, a millionaire, the party that feeds you the garbage you love to hear will impoverish YOU. You can't believe they care two puffs of comet gas about your financial status, can you? You've gained access to health care that you might not have had before. But it's evil because it came from the left. Dohh.
Enjoy your poverty when the Republicans destroy the middle class of which YOU are a part. I hope you have the list ready of people to blame for it, when it hits you. They'll probably all be Democrats, and you'll become even more fiercely conservative after that. You poor miserable slob.
What missile launch? They put something into orbit. Launching a satellite into orbit and launching a missile are two very different things.
MY LORD...What are you talking about? Are you suggesting they put the satellite into orbit with a slingshot? Please tell me what else you can place something into orbit with other than a missile...and don't say rocket because they're one in the same you silly person!!!
Not so much. If you can put a satellite into orbit, you can pretty much lob an object with a trajectory impacting almost anyplace on earth – provided your engines have the range. Seattle, Portland, SF, SD and LA are technically in range of NK's weapons now.
Well structured and stable societies like North Korea are NOT a threat to us.
What exactly is "stable" about North Korea besides the starvation rate?
Now, food for missles perhaps? You know the society is stable and the govt. is well structured. We may not agree with their ideological practice of govt. but we can honor their national security and send them some food
The largest military and intelligence budgets on the planet, by several fold, and North Korea puts one over on us?
Ouch.
North, many people do not know how intelligent Korean's are (North and South). Stable societies and Nations are not a threat to us. North Korea likes to practice a diff. form of govt. that is non-expansionist. It is they who are afraid we will militarily attack them. And us demonizing them does not help to reduce their fears
time for our govt to pull its head out of its arsanal and take a fn look at what the phuck is goin on! these north koreans are some crazy little d bags!
Wow. Hello, Luddite, Neo-Fascist John Birch Society Members. Go listen to your Glenn Beck and do the United States a favor and immigrate to 1933 Germany. You'll be right at home.
Anybody who eats KFC Chicken Bowls deserves to be invaded.
Agreed! KFC: disgusting food and a reprehensible company.
So now the GOP and the Media will criticise the US intelligence because they were not able to verify if te "technical difficulties" were real or not, or if the N told it swouldltake a few hours or day this was simply a precaution??
Of course, the "official" only spole to get some press comments and probably sold his "information" to some journalist
The fact that all the system were operational at the momentof this half launch is the only issue to consider!
Duh?
I can heR the, neener neener neener. Geez
So U.S intelligence was successfully deceived because " North Korea wasn't telling the truth"? !!
That is the most epic failure in intelligence gathering I have ever heard. How about you depend ZERO (0) on the information coming from them. Again, I repeat zero.
I have to concur. The whole game is about deception. This is not a good article for our intelligence services.
They're a sovereign nation. They don't need ANYONE's permission to launch a satellite, ESPECIALLY the US's.
go live there and defend them
A satellite? Seriously? ...a satellite? Just in case you've been living under a rock or just yet another uneducated person with a useless opinion on a subject you obviously know absolutely nothing about...it's a precursor to launching an Intercontinental Ballistics Missile with a Multi-Independent-Reentry-Vehicle attached to it. Better known an a nuclear bomb!
blow them off the face of the earth.
Note to self. Spy equipment not working.
North Korea? Deception? Who would have thought?!?
"North Korea Likely Deceived US, Allies"
Duhhhhh, you think so Tennessee?
Appears that this reported U.S. reaction to NK's rocket launch could be an attempt by the U.S. to propagandise the entire situation. NK said that it was going to launch the rocket, and it did. Just what would the presence of U.S. spy satellites have revealed – that NK actually launched its rocket, which was readily observable visually and with tracking radar?
No deception involved whatsoever. They're a Communist nation. Obama leads a Communist adminstration destroying the USA .......
Looks like a case of a buddy turning a blind eye the other way while his friend robs a candy store ....
Damn you're stupid. Perhaps look up the definition of communism and socialism while you're at it. No wonder America is declining in education.
LOL! Read a book.
silly slant eyed rats
.
It is fitting that Nutty Nincompoops deceive Morons is it not ? ? ! ! !
.
North Korea likely deceived US? The only ones deceived are those who actually think that North Korea would actually tell the truth in the first place. They've been lying to us from day one. They're socialists, so what do you expect. Surely, Obama wasn't surprised or deceived. He's a comrade so he knows the lingo.
Troll, meet Kool-Aid drinker. Kool-Aid...troll.
Ahhhh... you must be one of those people who think that raising taxes on the "rich" will solve all of our financial problems. Actually, that's probably a more true statement than seems possible, since you are probably like Obama and don't see us having a financial problem. Spend! Spend! Spend! That's the way to balance the budget!
These people eat dogs for supper...what do you expect from these 3rd world apes. They are dumb as a rock and are a tick above cave man. They aren't even human in intelligence. My dog's smarter than the average Korean. (And at least I don't eat him)
.
Sammy - Judging from your comment, I would say that it appears that you are a good deal dumber than the average Northie ! ! ! . And THAT is putting it kindly ! !
And yet these "apes" were capable of launching a rocket that could reach to the USA.
You, my friend, are just dumb.
We eat cow, lambs, chickens, pigs. They probably think that's wrong. Who are we to say anything?
And let me guess you had your first launch of your own personal multi stage ballistic missile what, 6-12 months ago now beating the North Koreans to the punch. ID10T.
Is this story supposed to make us mad at North Korea for the deception, or mad at the U.S. government for being so naive and clueless as to fall for the deception of a small third-rate isolated nation?
Well said.
It's a bottle rocket.
Well this is comforting. A country where they are starving, where they live in total darkness as far as news and the Supreme leader is a kid in his 20s, and "they" deceived us? "They" caught us off guard? And as the N Koreans are getting ready to trick us again, the anti gun nuts want to make it easier for them.
They're just jealous because they don't have PSY...no Gangnam style in NK!
some things are better left unsaid, this country is too damn stupid to realize that.
"Off guard"?!?!?!?!?!?! That's a far cry from reality which is "pants down" in this case. Democrats will find all sorts of way to remind us why we need to "hire" some loud mouth republican to take the heat for any real shooting. If the leadership changes again, we're about to be hit.
Grobbbbbbbbb
I am starting my launch sequence now. Hi Jenni glad you could make it.
kae Go Gi E Se O? Chom an eo agashi. Eemee sheemee peck pogi da!
this doesnt even make sense that we would even admit this bs
Why are we making such a big deal about this? North Korea would not make a move without the permission of China (their only ally). North Korea is like a province to China and our govt. officials know this. So North Korea is playing with rockets? God bless them. We can use another country to help to explore space and get to and from the International Space Station.
Ahhh yes – it's it wonderful being naive?
Correct- they likely wouldn't make a move without China, until they day the make a move without China.
Wanna buy a bridge?
And thats why they are still fishy on the list... to many key points and missing holes to why they did it and what they are trying to hide...
Like Jimmy Carter said in the earl;y 1980's when the Russians invaded Afghanistan – They lied to me.
Yeah, for about the 1 millionth time. If North Korean leadership becomes suicidal, the whole world could be in trouble.
I love these names like Kwangmyongsong-3, this will pop up in Iran and elsewhere under different names like Martyrdom-3. Scary times for the world.
f1, who cares? They are not a threat to anyone and our govt. knows this. North Korea is a structured society and they know it would be suicidal for them to bomb anyone. They like to work to advance their science. God bless them.
Wow– a secretive, repressive, totalitarian state was behaving to type. Color me shocked. And the stakes here were so high. Well, the stakes here were actually zero.
At least it will give the uber-redneck Obama critics who regularly drag their knuckles across the floor to post here something new to wail about.
In any case, what a poorly written article. I agree with Dan Strayer. This is not even something to be concerned about. If NK launched any type of attack on the United States or its allies in the region it would face absolute destruction. The NK regime wouldn't risk it as it would show that they are impotent against US attack and there would be a revolution. This is all bluster. And, by the way, the post by US=Cultural Marxism may very well be an NK post.
If NK attacked the US or its allies, Obama would apologize for offending them.
BINGO!
CJ, very good.
North Korea likely engaged in a deliberate campaign of deception before a December 12 long-range missile launch ???
But... but...
OBAMA TOLD his good COMMUNIST buddy Kim Jr. NOT to play with A bombs and rockets anymore !!!
Deliberate campaign of deception to his good buddy OBAMA ??? Tell me it ain't so...
Texas guy is obviously a moron.
Diomedes....How exactly do you type from inside Obama's butt?
I actually voted for Romney Demoncrats. I just don't appreciate morons!
Demoncrats, that was a very mature comment though. I see that you like to use your intellect to push the debate forward. I think you'd probably fit in well with Glenn Beck and his "Obama in Pee Pee" stunt. It's fascinating how retarded people of my own republican party have become.
Alert, alert, single minded troll present. Everyone, quick, dumb den the talk so he can understand
We will be sure to "dumb it den"
Did you mean dumb down, dummy?
abdula Oblongota – Navy says, "Water Sucks!"
He's a secessionist. Hence the "Republic of Texas" bull****. The irony is that he probably calls himself a patriot and flies an American flag outside his home. Texans! I'd like to see them secede again. That worked so well the first time.
We have our nutcases, same as you. Ours are just louder is all. Just ignore the secessionist stuff. We do.
Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, known popularly as "Stormin' Norman" for his notoriously explosive temper, has died at the age of 78.
Schwarzkopf, who died in Tampa, Fla., commanded the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991.
Nope.
Uh, yes he did. The popping noise is the sound of your head coming out of your a$s.
Yup.
And that has specifically what do to with this article?
Their gonna invade while we are all playing PS3 and eating KFC Chicken Bowls...
You are exactly right
Then everyone will "get" citizens buying AR-15's and ammo LEGALLY
Looks like the "little fat boy" is way ahead of our "fat heads."
Deceived what? We have all kinds of equipment that can detect missile launches all over the world. Do you really think for a second that the US did not know what was going on? We can't say anything without giving away a secret. Did you ever think that the little play by NK might have been staged to determine just what exactly we were capable of? Lett them fire off a rocket at the US. Then we can put a charred end to the fantasy kingdom of NK. I especially love the twits that try to tie in gun laws to this!
Typical arrogant Yank. Go and fix your fiscal cliff problem.
Why are you concerned about someone else's opinion? You obviously don't have a dog in that race.
With all the "spies in the skies",......nobody saw anything......ya right!
It's well known that we have the worst intelligence in the world. WMDs in Iraq? PT boats attacking our destroyer in the Tonkin Gulf? Completely wrong, if not lies.
Those were lies, not poor intel. A little research will do some good on this point.
So how would you characterize the CIA's 500 failed attempts to kill Castro? I'd call it incompetence, the most monstrous incompetence for the buck anywhere on the planet. So I wouldn't expect them to get their intelligence right either. I'd expect them to land their best spy toys in countries that hate us. That would be true to form.
Outwitted by one of the weirdest regimes in the world? Time to stop trying to be a global power, close all our overseas bases, bring all our troops home and slash the intelligence and defense budgets and spend the money saved on something silly, like infrastructure or our own citizens.
Cut the defense budget to what it was when Bush came into office, and we'd save 4 trillion over ten years, which is more than Congress will get us.
Shocking revelation. How many times did the US and the former (Soviets) deceive each other at the height of the "Cold War"?
So that makes this OK, right?
Major failure. Now we depend on the North Koreans to tell us when they are going to do something. And, from the article, it appears that if they shoot a missile the US can not shoot it down because they can launch without our knowing.
It is time for some intelligence and military personnel to be reassigned to a job they are capable of doing.
Does anyone really care what these dips do? Not supporting them further with free food is at least one good thing Obama has done.
Damnit! How many times do I have to tehr you? You don't launch the missiles untihr you see the signahr! I have worked ten years on this pran! It is a very precise, and a compricated pran! And, I have Arec Barrwin!
NEWSFLASH! U.S. intelligence is not in the habit of broadcasting over the news media just exactly what it knows or how it knows it.
Oh My God, the North Koreans fooled the dam Yanks? What is happening? First the NHL Lock out now this. What's next? Monica Lewinsky for President?
Don't forget the demise of Twinkies! I bet it was all NK's fault!
So now they tell us that they have wasted billions on inaccurate spy satellites.
And why are we so upset about it? Given our predictable critisism of North Korean plans, they had every reason not to report the exact schedule to us. It's not really decieving, it's just a normal course of events.
What can I say that already hasn't been said. I think congress should pass some "missle control laws" so it would be illegal to have or own a missle. That way no one will ever get harmed, killed or maimed by a missle. ooooops I forgot, the bad guys don't obey the laws
These "bad guys" are a different country's government. Our laws don't matter to them any more than their laws matter to us. More importantly, this isn't a big deal, just goes to show that Americans aren't the only clever ones around.
Considering the fact that US Congress has no control over laws in North Korea you attempt at sarcasm just shows ignorance on your part.
*your
Just so sad that gun nuts will twist any story to try to make a pitch for the NARA, the National Assault Rifle Association. If bazookas were outlawed only outlaws would own bazookas. Oh wait, bazookas are outlawed and no one uses them in crimes.
About the story, we only have so many spy satellites in orbit. They are in low earth orbit they have a limited supply of fuel so they can't shift orbital parameters by much. Next time the North Koreans advertise a launch we will have U2s on the edge of their airspace or stealth drones over the launch site.
A bazooka would be a HORRIBLE way to stick up a convenience store or rob a bank. Crooks are stupid, just not as stupid as you.
Neither do citizens from other countries in their own country. SMH.
Im gonna go buy a gun!
I'm going to buy a missle.
That is very unfortunate if it is true that America was fooled.
Dont believe everything you read
I call BS. This sounds like disinformation to me.
I believe the inteligence people want NK to think they got away with it, but doubt they really did.
Yup.
Well at least the did that right
Obama would not be that hard to fool.
Single minded troll alert!
I agree. You need to leave!
Keep underestimating him, you mound of putrilescent pus.
Looks like US needs a geostationary satellite on North Korea 🙂
XB-37 was in orbit at the time, however that is all classified. We knew more than they are saying. This is just a story of an attempt of deception by North Korea.
"Look, they know when our satellites are passing overhead,"
C'mon now, this "official" really doesn't think the US with the most technologically advanced space-based military reconnaissance systems doesn't have a geosynchronous satellite that can focus its camera on a rocket launch? If Google maps can see my dog in my driveway, I think the US military should be able to handle spying on North Korea.
If not, I'd really like to know what all these Atlas 5 and Delta-IV heavy lift launchers are putting up into space that costs billions of dollars.
A small, 3rd world country... deceived the U.S.!!!??.. the biggest deceiver of them all??? no! say it aint so!!
DUH!
India did the exact thing in 1997
YEP
I certainly hope our intelligence department is not just now figuring this out. I made the comment a couple hours after the launch that they had obviously "leaked" false information to catch us off gaurd. It concerns me that two weeks after the event our intelligence agency is just now figuring it out.
This alone might explain the debacle in Libya if our intelligence is really this slow.
Wait a minute, you're reading this on CNN, so 'just now' is relative.
Ummm, sure they did.
"North Korea likely deceived U.S., allies before launching rocket"
Yeah, they told us they were going to do it. Since they never tell the truth, we didn't believe a word.
North Korea? Deceiving us? Am I suppose to be surprised by that?
I seem to recall a back and forth that went something like this:
NK: Our nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
US: No, you're building a nuclear weapon.
NK: No, we need electricity; we are energy poor.
US: No, you're building a nuclear weapon.
NK: No we aren't. We already told you. Forget that we kicked out all the inspectors and trust us.
US: We think you're 2 years away from-
BOOM!
US: What was THAT?!?!
NK: We have The Bomb. Dipstick.
WHY DONT WE JUST GO OVER THERE AND NUKE THEM. WHILE WERE AT IT, WE CAN GO NUKE ISRAEL AND IRAN TOO
Because we are not as stupid as you.
We could give them you
Jeebus, we don't hate them that much do we?
what else is new
North Korea is just pure evil. Long live South Korea.
NK deceived the US? Ya Think?
Way to stay on that, Obama. Then again, you did such a slam-bang job in Benghazi. What did we expect from a pig except a grunt?
Mr bush, is that you? WMD?
MoveOn.Org is that you? Liberal trash?
They did it like Gangnam Style!!!!
It makes me a little nervous that they were surprised. Isn't that what got us into 9/11?
The North Koreans are deceiving themselves if they believe they could launch an attack without being obliterated in response.
true but they are a personality cult of a country so whatever grand delusions the leader holds in his mind...the whole nation will ultimately go along with even if it is obviously suicide...aka Jamestown and Waco Texas... similar situation i think.
For as long as they have china as an ally...
Oh, they really got us...
C'mon folks. Were any of you deceived? Are we surprised that NK lied to us? lol
Pffft.
We are surprised North Korea would try to deceive us? Hard to believe that!
without their WHEAT!!!!
er WITHHOLD......
It's not hard to fool the fools.
You sound like you speak from experience....
you've been fooled...