NORTH KOREA FUELS ROCKET - AT 7:10 A.M. ET: 

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea has begun fueling its long-range rocket, according to a senior U.S. military official.

The fueling signals that the country could be in the final stages of what North Korea has said will be the launch of a satellite into space as early as this weekend, the senior U.S. military official said Wednesday.

Other U.S. military officials said the top portion of the rocket was put on very recently, but satellite imagery shows a shroud over the stage preventing a direct view of what it looks like.

COMMENT:  This may be Obama's first major international test.  The issue is not whether it's a satellite launch.  It may well be.  The issue is the power and accuracy of the rocket carrying the satellite.  If it's an ICBM capable of hitting Hawaii, we have a serious blackmail problem.

Hillary Clinton has reponded to the North Korean provocation with harsh words, nothing else.  The secretary of defense, Robert Gates, hasn't even gone as far as harsh words.  The president seems preoccupied.  The American people are distracted by the economy. 

This is a dangerous time, somewhat comparable to the German and Japanese military buildups in the 1930s, when it appeared that no one except Winston Churchill was interested. 

April 2, 2009