[colorado tanker]

I agree there was a coup on the QT that put Putin in power. I also agree Boris left Putin a mess. I still think, however, Pooty-Poot has some 'splainin' to do about the Russian contraband in Iraq. It would explain why the Russians were desperate to prevent this war and why they're desperate to stop it.

[hchutch]

Perhaps, but I think that the explanation for the contraband will come down to at least one, if not all, of these scenarios:

1. Russian mafia.
2. "Straw pruchases" by third countries (the Ukraine and Syria are likely bets, but I would not discount the French, either).
3. Bureaucrats who got a piece of the action and approved sales that shouldn't have been approved.

For me, the key is not what the Russians SAY or even DO in the UN. Instead, they key is what they do outside the UN.