PUTIN SHILLS FOR RESIDENT BUSH

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he had warned of Iraq's plans to attack U.S. targets, but the statement drew puzzlement from American officials, none of whom had any idea what that information was.

Reuters: "Everybody's scratching their heads," said one State Department official, who asked not to be named.

But it seems Putin might have ulterior motives, says a Russian analyst quoted in the Los Angeles Times. Namely, attention taken off Iraq in a possible Kerry presidency could spark interest in Putin's human rights abuses in Chechnya:

"It's apparent that Russians and President Putin are interested in a second term for Bush," said Liliya Shevtsova of the Carnegie Moscow Center. "We've always had good relations with Republicans. We dislike Democrats, because Democrats always care about democracy in Russia."

Troublesome, that democracy.