Down By The River

Hicks may take plea bargain says his Dad:

"He isn't well, he's not coping, he's suffering mental stresses at the moment.

"I believe what's happening is they'll catch David in that frame of mind where he desperately wants to come home and he'll possibly enter into a plea bargain," Mr Hicks said.

Look at if from the Howard perspective, if you will. Hicks shuts his gob till the elections are over, then gets (say) a ten year sentence with his over five years already done in Gitmo bringing it down to four and a bit years in a nice comfortable Australian jail. His guilty plea takes the issue of the table for the election. Perfect.

I would say "Don't do it, Hicks," but given what he has been through and how utterly he has been abandoned not just by politicians but (let's be honest) the general public, he can do whatever he likes.

I think Hicks might be getting a new lawyer soon, one who is better able to channel the between-the-line realities of his new situation, should he choose to accept it. There will, of course, be a strong emphasis on "rewards for good behaviour" (nod, nod, wink, wink).