Yesterday I wrote of the unintended domestic consequences of the New York Times delivering the United Nations' packaging an old, unclear event into politically damaging news for the Democratic Party to use against President Bush. What I couldn't possibly imagine being unearthed was this:

Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned. John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, "almost certainly" removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad.

Is it true?

Et tu, Vladimir?

AND: Could this be the trap?