Giving in immediately would result in a run on the U.S. Bank. Give it some time to cook in Putin's mind, then we can likely barter him down, and keep the other UNSC members from demanding a huge "piece of the action."

Admittedly, Russia could use the funding, but who couldn't? Politics has always been a matter of give and take and, on a global scale, the give and take is -- big.

This works, and very well:
However, Russian negotiators have told Washington that Moscow could be persuaded to back the US campaign against Iraq in exchange for some of the business of rebuilding the country after Saddam Hussein is deposed.

Dan