Personally, I have no use for child molesters, no matter how talented they are. I am also appalled by the idea that something that happened in Jack Nicholson's appartment 31 years ago should be the concern of European and American heads of state today. That's just me, though--

My prejudices in the matter aside, it seems like this is actually good for Polanski--and he may have precipitated it deliberately.

Keeping in mind that he has a good case for having the proceedings dismissed, but was afraid to return to the US to pursue the case because of the fugitive charges, he can agree to allow extradition if the fugitive charges are dropped.

This will spare France, Switzerland, and the US a very embarrassing high profile legal process, and it will mean that he can move ahead with the hearing that he has already requested.

Since he hasn't been actually sentenced, he could even withdraw his guilty plea, which would mean that he'd have to be given a new trial. Since we know that the victim has no interest in pursuing the matter, he'll walk away, as clean and pure as the driven snow.

It will be a great disappointment for some of the more vindicative Mudcatters, but some of us are pretty disappointed already, and feel like, no matter what happens now, it will be wrong on some level.