Looking back, it's still hard to fathom. In late August, an Air Force bomber accidentally flew six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads from North Dakota to Louisiana -- with the power of 60 Hiroshimas -- and no one realized the nuclear-armed missiles were missing for more than a day.

The breathtaking incident raised questions about whether the flight was, in fact, an accident, or whether this might be part of some hyper-aggressive posturing towards the Middle East. How does a bomber inadvertently fly across the United States with six nuclear warheads? Was this human error? A bureaucratic mix-up? Or something more sinister?

The Washington Post has a detailed front-page analysis today of what transpired and concludes that this really was an accident. An incredibly serious, jaw-droppingly dangerous accident.

The episode, serious enough to trigger a rare "Bent Spear" nuclear incident report that raced through the chain of command to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Bush, provoked new questions inside and outside the Pentagon about the adequacy of U.S. nuclear weapons safeguards while the military's attention and resources are devoted to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You think?