The VP Zig Zag On Pollard

Last week Vice President of the United States Joe Biden was quoted in the New York Times as having said that president Obama had been considering releasing Jonathan Pollard from jail, but he had put a stop to it saying Pollard would only be released over his dead body.

Biden came under quick criticism as having "zig zagged" because in 2007 he came out publicly in support of Pollard's release.

The zig zag criticism is one that is used to show a politician as being unscrupulous and without principles. He changes his mind every day, depending on who is putting pressure on him or pulling the purse strings.

Regardless of whether or not Biden actually said that, as he has since denied it claiming he was misquoted, I would like to make a comment on the criticism of Biden zig zagging.

Sometimes, and I am not saying this is the case here, people change their opinion because they learn new information, or they are convinced by logic, or for multiple other reasons. Regardless of why he changed his opinion, and if he did or not is a question in and of itself, we seem to have no problem with people who change their opinion the other way. Meaning, there are a number of people who have said until recently that Pollard should stay in jail who have recently changed their tune. Not only have we not criticized them for zig zagging, we have held them up on a banner to show how much support Pollard is getting that even people who were not previously supportive now are.

So people can change their opinion one way, but if they change the other way they are zig zagging? That does not seem right or honest. People can change their opinion. Just because Biden does not support Pollard, even if he did previously, does not mean he is zig zagging. Find out and criticize the reason he changed (if he changed) his opinion. Dismissively saying he is zig zagging puts into the same doubt the veracity of the other people changing their opinions as simple zig zaggers.