The only problem I have with accepting your explanation is that MH370 drastically changed its course 12 minutes before the pilot signed off with "goodnight" to the Malaysian ATC. Given that there was no sign of any distress at the times leading up to, during and for 12 minutes after the drastic and conscious change in its scheduled direction, the only logical deduction is that MH370's pilot(s) had "other plans" for the aircraft. The added fact that MH370's new course perfectly intercepted the Berlin-bound IL68 (also a Boeing 777) makes a strong case for MH370 having shadowed IL68 across the Asian mainland to its alternate destination.
LtGen McInerney is a very knowledgable authority, and I would not discount his experienced opinion.
I had heard about that IL68 flight. I wasn't sure that MH370 would have been able to catch up with IL68 because of their departure times (which I think were, like, 20 min apart) and they went in opposite directions. One went NE and the other NW. You say MH370 would have caught up? I'm not stuck on one theory. I think one theory is as good as the other considering the information we have right now.
It reminds me of Payne Stewart because communications between the pilot and ground seemed normal. Then the plane took a right turn and there was no response from the plane after that. But then, how did the transponders get turned off on MH370? That had to be deliberate or a system failure of some kind. We're just not going to know until we know, and we may never know...