Friday, August 11, 2006

Every Crackpot Loves Company

I am always glad to learn that I am not the only crackpot in the world who thinks that the latest the UN ceasefire proposal will be a disaster for Israel. Ari Shavit from Ha'aretz goes one step further and suggests what course of action Israeli Prime Minister should take next, if the current ceasefire proposal is carried by the UN Security Council and accepted by the Israeli cabinet:
Ehud Olmert may decide to accept the French proposal for a cease-fire and unconditional surrender to Hezbollah. That is his privilege. Olmert is a prime minister whom journalists invented, journalists protected, and whose rule journalists preserved. Now the journalists are saying run away. That's legitimate. Unwise, but legitimate.

However, one thing should be clear: If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day. Chutzpah has its limits. You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say - oops, I made a mistake. That was not the intention. Pass me a cigar, please.

There is no mistake Ehud Olmert did not make this past month. He went to war hastily, without properly gauging the outcome. He blindly followed the military without asking the necessary questions. He mistakenly gambled on air operations, was strangely late with the ground operation, and failed to implement the army's original plan, much more daring and sophisticated than that which was implemented. And after arrogantly and hastily bursting into war, Olmert managed it hesitantly, unfocused and limp. He neglected the home front and abandoned the residents of the north. He also failed shamefully on the diplomatic front.

It's strange to think that I am praying for Hezbollah to miss an opportunity to declare victory.

1 comment:

Gordon Pasha said...

Won't happen. The French are playing their slutty little games again. At the last minute, they will try to impose some Arab-inspired change and the deal will fall apart.