AND AT FIRST GLANCE I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that the United States is considering a plan to offer plea bargains to captured Iraqi officials who could help locate chemical or biological weapons.
"It's a perfectly reasonable proposal, and lawyers are considering it," Rumsfeld said during a news conference at the Pentagon.

A decision hinges on whether giving Iraqis some form of immunity would be worthwhile. "What do we think we can get by way of information or validation or assistance in exchange for what we'd have to give up? Those are the calculations," Rumsfeld said.

It is completely predictable however, the moment we begin cutting deals, those on the other side will howl with mixed messages.

One will be that we are going easy on those guilty of crimes against humanity. Another will be that any information obtained in such a deal is trumped up, tainted, suspect or invalid.

All in all I think we need to squeeze the Ace of Diamonds a bit before we start cutting deals.

Read the whole thing here.