A couple of weeks ago, French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet caused a stir by suggesting that the Libyan quagmire could end with Qaddafi still in the country, although he would “be in another room in his palace, with another title.”  The rest of the French government hurried to “distance itself” from his remarks.

Now we learn, courtesy of the New York Times, that “France appeared on Tuesday to have persuaded Britain to support a shift in attitude toward Colonel Moammar Qaddafi, suggesting that he could be allowed to remain in Libya in return for giving up power in a broader deal, including a cease-fire.”

That means no war crimes trials, and if the NATO bigwigs think Qaddafi will just stroll off to a quiet retirement in one of those port cities his forces have leveled, they’re dreaming.  There’s a reason deposed dictators have to be removed from the countries they ruled with an iron fist for decades.