MORE ON THE MORAL STANDING OF MULTILATERALISM:

A senior Kremlin official indicated yesterday that Russia would demand a high price for its support in the campaign against Iraq but that it would not ultimately stand in America’s way.

With Tony Blair due in Moscow this afternoon, the Kremlin’s senior spokesman said Russia would adopt a “pragmatic” position over Iraq, shorthand for a demand that it must receive substantial financial compensation.

See, Russia is worried that the price of oil might fall — which would be bad for Russia, though good for a lot of poor countries elsewhere — and wants guarantees that that won’t happen.

Yeah, good thing we’re not going about this in a self-interested, unilateral manner. Because then it would be, you know, all about oil.