This opinion piece in the Jewish Media Resources website makes the exact same point that JtS was making in his 24 Jul 04 - 12:39 AM post:

Better free than a hero

by Jonathan Rosenblum
Jerusalem Post

"...Those who prefer to keep the focus exclusively on the goal of securing Pollard's release have frequently incurred the wrath of the activist core. As an example, one dedicated Pollard supporter recently ridiculed HaModia for "worrying excessively about possible charges of dual loyalty." The paper's crime? At the end of a long article detailing the procedural and substantive injustices in the Pollard case, its columnist concluded, "This article does not intend to glorify or even condone Pollard's crime. Anyone who works for an organization like the [United States] Navy undertakes to consider only the interests of the United States."

But the Pollard case does raise issues of "dual loyalty" – just ask any Jew working in American intelligence about the stares he or she was subjected to after the case broke. And American Jews are entitled to be concerned about that issue. Pollard has repeatedly insisted that he did what did out of profound love for Israel, not out of any venal financial motives. Likely Pollard was convinced that none of the information he handed Israel could damage American interests, but still his motivation was his love of Israel...

...Too often Pollard's supporters have shown a preference for emotionally satisfying symbolic gestures and harangues to building a larger coalition of support. At a Jerusalem rally two weeks ago, his attorney called him a symbol of America's consistent failure to honor promises. What is the point of remarks calculated to infuriate the president of the United States, the one person who has the power to free Pollard from jail?

Jonathan Pollard's dwindling band of intense supporters must ask themselves: Would we rather have him free or hailed as a hero? Let's hope they choose freedom."