OK, now that would seem like a pretty straightforward problem, but really it was something else altogehter.
Currently I am writing a helper app for MCMS (Microsoft Content Management Server) 2002 to migrate files from another CMS to MCMS. I am using C# and PAPI calls. Everything was fine on the development server. When I moved the app to the staging (QA) server to perform the migration there (you can't use PAPI remotely), the app got an exception the moment it tried to connect to MCMS: "The CMS Server license has expired". Of course immediately I thought the obvious. After a little digging I found this information in the FAQ implying that I didn't have the proper permissions. I had the server admin elevate my permissions and immediately the problem was solved.
The lesson here: "Develop with least privledges!" It will save you headaches later.