Geopolitical alliances are shifting like the Iraqi sands in the wake of the war and the wealth of documentary evidence uncovered since. That evidence is fracturing old alliances, and creating new ones.

Documents found in Iraq detail years of Russian backroom deals that motivated Moscow to oppose removing Saddam Hussein from power.

Saddam gave billions of dollars worth of oil contracts to Russia's Lukoil in exchange for Russia's opposition to war. Moscow certainly delivered, allying itself in the anti-war effort with the Arab world, the French and the Germans into what the New York Post dubbed the "Axis of Weasels."

Having done their job, from Moscow's point of view, the Russians are now demanding that contracts signed with Iraq before the war be honored.

Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov told Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that Russia was also holding Iraq to the $8 billion Saddam owed Moscow. "We believe that the contracts in force must be respected," Kasyanov said. "Debts must be paid and respected."

The Italian oil and gas company Eni SpA's chief executive, Vittorio Mincato, met Friday with Kasyanov and Alexei Miller, head of Gazprom, to discuss working together in the oil and gas sectors, Dow Jones reported.

The three met to look for ways to "enhance cooperation in the gas and upstream oil sectors with a view to a possible alliance." Translation: An alliance of giant oil companies to carve up Iraq's rich oil reserves. That sounds familiar.

Except the anti-warriors had it backwards. These aren't giant American oil companies – like the anti-war protesters claimed. These are the giant oil companies of the anti-warriors!

New evidence is emerging that Russia sold military equipment to Iraq. There is also evidence that the Russians, like the French, passed on details of secret conversations between Prime Ministers Tony Blair of Britain and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy.

Putin denied knowledge that Russia was breaking U.N. sanctions and was, in effect, spying for the Iraqis against the coalition, but the documents found so far say differently.

The Russians were every bit as obstructionist as the French, but while Paris will pay heavily, the White House seems intent on giving Putin a pass.

Why the different treatment? Unlike France, Russia has much the administration needs. Putin is the key to getting U.N. sanctions lifted from Iraq, not Chirac. A decision by Putin to back Bush and lift sanctions would leave Chirac isolated in the United Nations, something Washington believes Chirac can't afford to risk.

And Putin has something to bring to the table in both the North Korean crisis and the war on terrorism that Chirac doesn't.

The hypocrisy of the Russians is as distasteful as it is transparent. In spite of all the high-sounding rhetoric about the immorality of the U.S.-led war to free Iraq, the Russians intend to squeeze every drop they can from the Iraqis.

Moscow is leveraging the lifting of sanctions against collecting its massive "debt" that was little more than a bribe in the first place. But we need the Russians.

Bad luck for the French.