Convoluted and does indeed make some sense, but I still have trouble seeing Russia in bed with Islamists after what they've gone through in Chechnya. Then again, Saddam wasn't an Islamist...he just made common cause with them against the Great Satan. Hell, Saddam killed more of *his own* Islamist whackjobs between 1979 and 2003 than we probably ever will.
It's just damned shortsighted on the Russians' part, though. Maybe, like you said, they figured that Iraq was a useful partner (and they certainly were economically) and that Saddam would not turn on them or provide aid and support to the Chechens and their allies.
If the Russian government was involved in this, and not just private or rogue concerns in Russia, then this is hugh. We've always felt that Pootie Poot was dealing with Saddam behind our back while blocking us in the Security Council again and again, we just couldn't prove it. Now, we're finding out that not only was he protecting his own economic interests, and protecting his own slush funds from Oil-For-Bribes, maybe he was also actually helping the Iraqis move weapons of slightly-less-than-mass-if-you're-a-Democrat destruction out of Iraq and away from us. That is BIG.
}:-)4
Condie Rice was on Hannity radio today. When she mentioned the investigation of where the munitions went and when, she said something a bit new... interrogation of members of Saddam's former regime. Like the Oil-For-Food evidence, I bet we hold all the cards on this, too.
One thing I remember is that Czarist Russia played convoluted games of intirgue both against Britain in the Northwest indian Terr. and the Ottomans. Alliances switched often, Could Putin be playing a new Great Game?