I don't pretend to know the reason, and I never HAVE pretended to know the reason. As Werhner von Braun might have said, "That's not my department." All I know is that this was a missile launch and that a whole lot of effort is going into convincing people that it wasn't.
At first, I thought it was probably just a good thing to shut up on the premise of "loose lips sink ships." Maybe I was correct, that it is in our nation's best interest for "the people" to think it was an airplane. But I have come to think now that it is certainly a bad thing when smart, educated, good fellow Americans are duped in this manner. It is scary to me.
But hey, to answer your question:
1. Have you ever watched a missile launch live?
Yes. Many times. At sea, even.
2. Have you watched more than five missile launches live from a range of 160 miles or less?
I've watched many more missiles than that, launched at sea right over my head, and at distances of 20 or more miles.
3. Have you lived for a year or more in the greater L.A. area from Malibu to Newport Beach within 25 or 30 miles of the coast?
No, but I served at sea for four years, off the coast of California, Mexico, Oregon and Washington and Alaska.
4. Have you watched both airplanes and missile launches with the aid of binoculars?
Yes. Even with "bigeyes" (80x200 pedestal mounted binocs). Back in the Cold War days, it was important to be able to tell the difference.
5. Have you watched this video?
Yes.
Any further questions?