Jonathan Pollard

Today the Yiddish papers are abuzz that the Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard will be released in November. He will be required to stay in the US for five years, after that everyone presumes he will "return" to Israel.

I have long been opposed to releasing the guy. That said, perhaps I have been wrong. It will be good to get this irritant out of the US/Israel relationship.

It seems that in the last months as president, Mr. Obama is taking more risky moves. He has opened relations with Cuba. He has paroled drug offenders sentenced un Mr. Clinton's law. Now we have this. (Does the President influence this sort of decision?)

I hope the little guy is crazy as a shithouse rat after his time in solitary. But perhaps releasing him is the right thing to do.

I got no dog in this fight, but I'd hope that Israel would give something in return if this happened.

The President typically doesn't influence parole decisions, but he does have the broad power, under the Constitution, to grant pardons and commutations for Federal offenses.

I do not in the least condone what Pollard did. But the terms of his original sentence anticipated parole after 30 years if he behaved while in custody (and he has) and if he is at no risk of reoffending (which seems to be the case), so I would not object to his release.