The timing of the plea agreement seems premature, considering Walker hasn't been charged with anything yet. In fact, investigators only yesterday called for a grand jury to look into possible charges.

Walker's attorney, Jim Bradshaw, says his client hopes to enter a plea within two weeks. University of Utah Law Professor Paul Cassell told KSL News:

I don't think the prosecutors would be calling a grand jury unless there was a lot of smoke there. They're obviously trying to get to the bottom of it and see if there's fire. They wouldn't be calling a grand jury unless there was something pretty serious afoot here."

A swift plea bargain should not derail the grand jury investigation, which would fire up shortly after a separate House ethics probe into other charges of bribery ends. But Walker's probably got good reasons to get clear as fast as possible.

Here's hoping the prosecutors have the political guts to make it a part of the plea deal that Walker rats out everyone involved before he scampers away.