Connecting the dots

Rating: Null/10 (26 September 2010)

CONTAINS SPOILERS!
A number of those who saw Salt had some questions about the movie. Here's my attempt at connecting (some of) the dots:
Evelyn Salt is a CIA agent, but she's also a sleeper agent for the Russians. The problem for her Russian spymaster, Orlov, is that she's married - which is against the rules - and so her allegiance is suspect.
Here are some questions and answers.
Who is Salt? She is a CIA agent. Although she started as a Russian sleeper agent, her allegiance is now with the USA, after her detention by N. Korea and her subsequent release made possible by an expert arachnologist whom she marries.
Why is she exposed by Orlov? 1. Orlov wants the CIA to believe that Russia is behind the assassination plot to kill the Russian president in order to stoke US- Russia tensions and escalate the strain to a nuclear conflict. 2. Orlov wants to activate Salt from her sleeper status and carry out the assassination (which is also a test of Salt's allegiance). 3. Orlov wants to divert the CIA's attention to Salt so that the real plot (nuclear bombing of Arab nations by the US) can be carried out by another sleeper agent (Winter). 4. Implicating Salt will make her the fall guy after the real mission is carried out by the sleeper agent.
Why does Salt run from the CIA when Orlov escapes CIA custody? Salt runs from the CIA because she knows her husband is in danger, since she her marriage is against the "rules" imposed on sleeper agents. If she can't find her husband, she figures her husband is held hostage by her Russian spymaster, but will be released after her mission is carried out.
Why does Salt carry out her mission to kill the Russian president? Salt carries out her mission to "prove" that she is still loyal to her Russian spymaster, and hence secure the release of her husband. Although it initially appears that the Russian president is assassinated, Salt does not actually kill him - he is merely put into a state of temporary paralysis when Salt injects him with spider venom (not seen on screen, but implied near the end of the film).
Why does Salt follow the presidential team to the bunker? To stop the president from launching the nuclear weapons. It's not clear at that point if Salt knows there is another sleeper agent (Winter) besides the NATO mole (Shnaider) who blew himself up. Presumably, Salt knows the NATO mole's self-sacrifice isn't the objective, which is to secure American missiles for the "Day X" mission.
What evidence is there to show Salt's allegiance to the US? 1. No American is killed by Salt 2. The Russian president is not killed by Salt, but merely put in a state of temporary paralysis. This requires premeditation on Salt's part, and not an afterthought. 3. She doesn't shoot agent Peabody even though she has the drop on him. 4. She kills all the Russians on the barge (though this is also an act of revenge for the killing of her husband) 5. She stops the nuclear missiles from being launched