Report: Biden Torpedoed Pollard’s Pardon, Said “Over My Dead Body”

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biden-obamaDid Vice President Joseph Biden stop President Barack Obama from pardoning convicted spy Jonathan Pollard? According to the New York Times, the answer is yes.

The NYT reported on Shabbos that in a recent meeting between Biden and 15 rabbis in Florida – meant to bolster the Jewish community’s support of the Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign – the vice president was asked about the Obama administration’s reluctance to release Pollard, who was imprisoned in 1986 after he was convicted of spying for Israel.

“President Obama was considering clemency, but I told him, ‘Over my dead body are we going to let him out before his time is up,'” Biden reportedly told the group. “If it were up to me, he would stay in jail for life.”

The issue of Pollard’s pardon has been the proverbial thorn in all recent US administrations’ side: Jerusalem and a seemingly ever-growing group of Pollard supporters say that after serving 25 years in prison, Washington can afford to release Pollard without losing face. Washington, however, has so far refused.

Obama is said to be relying on Biden for help with one particular core group of voters – American Jews. The US Jewish community tends to vote Democratic, but given their disapproval of the Obama Administration’s policies towards Israel, those votes can no longer be considered “a sure thing.”

Biden has been tasked with fund-raising among Jewish Democrats, while reassuring the party’s base that the Obama administration remains a loyal friend to Israel.

According to the NYT, Biden admitted to the rabbis that “the administration had made a few missteps in its handling of the Israel relationship,” but made no further reference to the Pollard issue.

The NYT believed that Washington’s adamant refusal to pardon Pollard is unlikely to cost Obama the support of US Jews, especially after his pro-Israel speech at the United Nations last week.

{Ynet/Matzav.com Newscenter}


20 COMMENTS

  1. Shame on Biden and shame on Obama for listening to him! These guys don’t deserve ONE jewish vote. Besides which, if anyone thinks his speech at the UN is real, forget it. You know Obama speaks from two sides of his mouth, and you can’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth.

  2. Who ever knowingly supports or votes for anything Biden stands for is a partner with him in this terrible aveirah. All the yom kippur’s will never atone this aveirah and he will find his makom next to him after leaving this world with terrible yisurim

  3. why does it feel there is more to the story with Pollard? Why would Biden be this forceful? im sure he understands it would be a quick shot in the arm in repairing Jewish americans feeling towards the president?
    what are we missing here????

  4. Guess our tefillos are for one DEAD VP.

    ab: Stop the nonsense the story is the story, Jews are treated differently than other convicts especially when Israel is involved.

  5. For the life of me I ca not understand their rationalle! Why? Hasn’t bhe served his due time? What is their reason?

  6. In a 2007 interview, Biden expressed support for Pollard clemency (though not an outright pardon).

    I think this is a case of Joe “taking one for the boss”. Obama’s numbers have been steadily slipping with Jews and Biden has been directed to lead the effort in addressing that issue.

    My guess is that it’s Obama that wants nothing to do with Pollard, but Biden is offering the President political cover by taking the blame.

  7. I was one of the Rabbis in the meeting with Biden and he did say it. He said the President was willing to consider a pardon but he said no.

  8. Why does Obama have to listen to Biden? Isn’t Obama the president? He’s not such a ninkenpoop, if he wanted to pardon Pollard, he could do it, whether Biden agrees or not. It suits Obama to have a scapegoat.

  9. since when can the vice president overrule
    the president. they are both toying with us afraid what the backlash will be in the 2012
    elections. the only one that can help us is
    aveinu she bashamaim. may he also hae rachmonos on shalom rubashkin

  10. since when can the vice president overrule the president. he’s taking the blame for our muslim president. they are afraid of the backlash in the 2012 election. hashem have mercy on us all

  11. so let obama tell little joey that he can go home to Delaware and he (obama) will replace him and free Pollard – after all since when do Presidents do the bidding of the V-P’s. It usually works the other way around – therefore if obama really wants to release Pollard (pardon or clemency / time served – your free go home) what does he care what joey b has to say on the matter.

  12. “Before the crash comes haughtiness, and before stumbling a conceited spirit”. (Mishlei)

    Biden is hopefully on his way to the cliff…

  13. Now can someone please explain to me ‘how in tarnation’ does this statement get Ossama/Biden more Jewish votes???
    Vote for them?
    Over my dead body!

    If Biden admits that “the administration had made a few missteps in its handling of the Israel relationship,” it just comes to show that antisemitism was stronger than political wisdom.
    MAY WE ALL BE MISPALEL: ?????? ????? ???? ?? ????

  14. 13. Comment from from here to there
    Time
    October 2, 2011 at 3:06 PM

    so let obama tell little joey that he can go home to Delaware and he (obama) will replace him and free Pollard – after all since when do Presidents do the bidding of the V-P’s. It usually works the other way around – therefore if obama really wants to release Pollard (pardon or clemency / time served – your free go home) what does he care what joey b has to say on the matter.

    The President can fire cabinet officers, not the Vice President.

  15. Obama is behind Biden’s “big talk”.
    I completely agree with anonymous #8.
    Biden is just taking the heat away from Obama. However, the world is too savvy today to let Obama get away with Biden’s shtick.

  16. it’s the aseres ymai tshuva and yet how many supposedly frum jews have responded by wishing for the death of a creation of Hashem. be mad at biden, okay but to wish him dead? did rosh hashanah davening mean nothing? does the torah mean nothing. to wish him dead for his political opinion tells you exactly what is so sick about frum judaism today.

  17. When you folks gonna get it already that the Israeli goverment has been obstructing Pollard’s release for the last 20 years?

    C’mon~!

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