No noose for Saddam?

The London News-Telegraph reports:

Saddam Hussein could avoid the gallows under a secret proposal by insurgent leaders that Iraq's new administration is "seriously considering", a senior government source said yesterday.

A reprieve is understood to be among the central demands of Sunni nationalists and former members of Saddam's Ba'ath party who have reportedly begun negotiations with the government amid the backdrop of a bloody insurgency which claimed 30 lives during the weekend.

Officials say they are looking for a way of joining the political process after January's election, which was boycotted by most of the once-powerful Sunni minority.

"We are trying to reach out to the insurgents," the source said. "We don't expect them to stop fighting unconditionally. Sending Saddam to prison for the rest of his life is not a huge price for us to pay, but it will save them a lot of face."

I do not support the death penalty, but like President Talabani, I could make an exception for evil of Saddam's magnitude. But this sort of a deal, if it's genuine (that is, if the "insurgency" would actually lay down arms), seems like a major win-win proposition. Hundreds or thousands of needless murders would be avoided; without the Iraqi participants, the "insurgency" would nearly disappear. Sparing Saddam's life isn't necessarily a bad thing in the absolute — but if the sparing of the monster's life could bring about peace, that's a very tasty outcome...

A tip 'o the hat to Captain's Quarters for the pointer...