Third Hostage in Group May Be Beheaded

That's the news from Iraq, with the group holding him (which is purported to have already beheaded Americans Armstrong and Hensley from the same group in the past two days).

Now, there's something here that I'm going to say and which some may not like. Let me preface it by saying that no, I don't think it's normally wise to cut deals with terrorists. But lying about a situation is bad, too, when lives are at stake.

Here's the thing. This group says they're going ahead with the beheadings because the U.S. has not responded to requests to release all female prisoners from Abu Ghraib and other prisons. The U.S. says it only has two women in custody, both officers under Saddam and linked to bioweapons.

True? Don't think so. At least, not based on previous reports from Abu Ghraib and other facilities. Women have been imprisoned beyond these two. We've never heard that all these women were released. Women are not taken into custody with the same numbers as men, but I've read dozens of reports about women being picked up just in the last six months.

If I can pick up this lie, I suspect the Iraqis can. So I expect them to execute the third man, and perhaps pick up others and make the same demand.