Iranian missile test

TW, I agree with you that a terrorist is going to use whatever method is the most inexpensive and expedient. I was mostly just fooling around with my "wilds of Colorado" scenario. However, I disagree with your assessment of terrorist mentality. I think many intelligent people in the Middle East both fear and hate the West for reasons from both current and past history. The minions who carry the actual tasks out may indeed be evil mental midgets, but the hand behind the scenes is an intelligent one. Intelligence is no guarantee of emotional stability, and any number of otherwise bright people are guilty of black and white thinking in at least some areas of their lives. Any soldier who goes to war must think in black and white terms, otherwise he could never stand his ground on the field of battle.

I also do not share your complacency regarding the efficacy of soviet nuclear security. The Soviet Union has become pretty chaotic, at least when compared to the days of the old Communist regime, and there are plenty of desperate people who would look the other way for enough money and the border with the MidEast is right there in the backyard. I'll agree, it would be a major pain in the ass to pull off, but if it were to happen, I think the former USSR would be a more likely vector than would cautious, strait-laced Japan.