Israel Matzav

With the March 28 election fast approaching, Kadima officials expressed concern on Saturday night that the party's dominance in the polls would result in complacency that will harm Kadima in the poll that counts - at the ballot boxes.

Kadima held its largest rally ever on Saturday night in Ness Ziona, where candidates Tzipi Livni, Shimon Peres, Shaul Mofaz, Meir Sheetrit and Tzahi Hanegbi each spoke about the need to win enough mandates to not only win the election but form a stable government that would give the party enough flexibility to advance its policies.

"Some say let's not give them too much power," Livni said. "But we need power to do the things we believe in and change Israeli politics. In coalition talks, we don't want to have to compromise on what we believe in." [But what do they believe in? Only Olmert's hairdresser knows for sure. CiJ]

Nine days ahead of the election, Kadima strategists decided to devote the bulk of the remainder of the party's budget to pay some 10,000 people to work on its behalf on election day in lieu of the volunteers upon whom other parties rely.

To save money, Kadima will not hold a traditional closing rally and party chairman Ehud Olmert will not appear in any more campaign events, due to security costs. [Let's correct that: party chairman Ehud Olmert will not appear in any more campaign events, due to security costs due to fears that more people will realize what a Charlatan he really is. CiJ]

Transportation and Education Minister Meir Sheetrit, who heads Kadima's organizational campaign, promised when the party was formed that 100,000 people would join the party but he said Saturday night that the current membership was only 10,300. [Yet another broken promise. CiJ]

He expressed confidence that he could find 10,000 unpaid activists to join the 10,000 workers.

Another problem that Kadima officials said would have to be addressed was the inconsistency of its messages. Sheetrit, for instance, sounded very different in Ness Ziona than Olmert in last weekend's interviews. Olmert talked about setting Israel's border by 2010, but Sheetrit said the party was in no hurry.

"If we don't get peace, we do not believe in jumping to get nothing," Sheetrit told a crowd of some 1,200 people. "If we don't get peace, we are not hurrying anywhere. We have to learn patience from the Arabs. If we have to wait years, we will."

Unlike Olmert, who spoke openly about the potential for a unilateral withdrawal from most of the West Bank, Sheetrit told reporters at the event that "withdrawing unilaterally is the worst of all worlds because there would be a Palestinian state and no peace." [More and more Kadima Achora candidates are trying to sound like right wingers. I wonder why.... /sarc CiJ]

Asked about the inconsistency, Sheetrit said: "What I am saying is what's in the party platform." [But in this 'party', only what Olmert says matters. CiJ]

Anyone want to bet on when Sharon will 'die'? I'd bet no more than seven days after the elections.