Judges are given that kind of leeway and they can rely on government officals to decide.

That is wrong. In democracies, government officials are not supposed to exert secret influence on judges when they impose sentences in specific cases.

One of the consequences of Weinberger's undue influence in the Pollard case, and the resulting sentence that was far out porportion to the crime, is that Congress enacted legislation setting the maximum penalty for that crime at 10 years; half of what Pollard has already served. Unfortunately, for Pollard, there is no provision for retroactivity when penalties are revised after a specific case.

Despite everything that transpired in this case, I don't think you'll find too many Americans, even pacifists who abhor the Iraq wars enacted by both Bushes, who are sorry that the Israelis destroyed Saadam's nuclear capabilities. That action made this planet a much safer place than it otherwise would have been.