I was reading the website Mondoweiss when this caught my eye: Philip Weiss was having breakfast with radio journalist Jeff Blankfort, who said he thought Pres. Obama might release Jonathan Pollard later in May. Jonathan Pollard, of course was convicted of spying for Israel & sentenced to life in prison.
Jeff Blankfort gives the following reason Obama would release Pollard:
Now in order for Obama to get the Jewish funding he had in the last election he has to make a trip to Israel. What’s curious is that up till now he has not only not made a trip there but he hasn’t been publicly invited-- and probably for the reason that Obama is so unpopular in Israel that he cannot go there and feel assured that he will come back alive. And the Netanyahu government quite likely feels the same way, because many of their elite army units which used to be secular are now ultra orthodox. Because if Obama's going to go, he has to go in a very public way, not like sneaking into Baghdad or Kabul.
Following a meeting that Obama had with Shimon Peres a month ago there’s been an expectation that he will go to Israel in June. and the only way for him to do it at this point in time would be to free Jonathan Pollard. And there has been a major campaign to free Pollard recently, an unprecedented campaign, on the part of the Jewish community. Henry Kissinger weighed in, George Shultz weighed in, Michael Mukasey weighed in.
Heretofore previous Israeli governments and the American Jewish community have not really pushed this issue in the way they’re doing it today. Because previously they were afraid of what Pollard might say, because Pollard has said that he was betrayed by the Israelis, and Pollard’s support has largely been in the settler community. But now the setters are running Israel, and the current Israeli government is the equivalent of the Tea Party, and they have nothing to lose by anything that Pollard might say about previous Israeli governments when he gets out.
Blankfort claims Pres. Obama will do this just before or during the AIPAC convention May 22-24. Myself, I wonder about this. I've looked up Jonathan Pollard on the Federal Bureau of Prisons site, & it lists him being released on 11-21-2015.
Of course, if Obama does release Pollard, it is not like he will be making a decision that is out of step with the Establishment. The Israeli government has called for Pollard's release. So has Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, Michael Mukasey, as noted above. Alan Simpson has called for his release, & such members of Congress as Rep. Anthony Weiner, Senator John McCain, Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Barney Frank & 39 other Democrats, & Senator Dennis DeConcini. Jeff Blankfort predicted only the rightwing like Pat Buchanan will object, but commenters on the post at Mondoweiss wonder if veterans & members of the intelligence community will feel betrayed.
So, the question is: is this a good idea? Would Obama shoot himself in the foot doing this? Or would releasing Pollard be justice with mercy?
Updated by Friendlystranger at Tue May 10, 2011 at 08:45 PM CDT
OK, I screwed up by posting an item based on writings by Jeff Blankfort. He is a semi-Holocaust denier. I won't use him again.
I would thank the commenters who did make the effort to discuss whether Pollard should or shouldn't be released. That was the point of this diary. For the folks who fixate on the "Jewish donor" quotes from Blankfort: I see. The Hill and the Jerusalem Post can write stories about "Jewish donors," but Mondoweiss can't?
