In the middle of a meeting with 15 rabbis in Boca Raton, Fla., last week, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. took a punch meant for his boss.
Obama Turns to Biden to Reassure Jewish Voters, and Get Them to Contribute, Too, New York Times, September 30, 2011
And now we know how true that is!
At that meeting, Biden boasted that he personally blocked Obama's plan to grant Pollard clemency:
One of the rabbis asked why Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy convicted in 1986, was still in prison. Mr. Biden, on a mission to shore up support for President Obama, replied forcefully, according to several people at the meeting.Now it turns out that back during the 2008 campaign, while bragging what a good friend he is of Israel, Biden said that though he opposed a pardon--"there is a rationale in my view why Pollard should be granted leniency (1:20):
“President Obama was considering clemency, but I told him, ‘Over my dead body are we going to let him out before his time,’ ” Mr. Biden said. “If it were up to me, he would stay in jail for life.”
So when it was convenient in 2008 to favor leniency for Pollard's--Biden is there.
And when it is convenient to cover for Obama not granting clemency--Biden is there too.
The only question that remains is:
What won't Obama make Biden say in order to get the Jewish vote?
Technorati Tag: Israel and Pollard and Biden and Election 2012.
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