Israel Matzav

Flying pigs moment: Olmert speaks the truth

The fact that Pinochio Ehud K. Olmert spoke the truth makes this worthy of being called a flying pigs moment.


The fact that he's the main beneficiary of what he said should surprise no one.

In one of the traditional weekend holiday interviews, Ehud K. Olmert told the Hebrew website NRG Maariv that foreign minister Tzippi Feigele Livni is 'also responsible' [link in Hebrew. CiJ] for the war's results. According to Olmert, Livni was "a full partner" in the decision making during the war, and "I don't know why she is portrayed as one who bears no public responsibility." Feigele is currently the leading candidate to replace Olmert at the head of Kadima Achora, and polls show that while the Likud would demolish Kadima Achora if Achora is headed by Olmert, it's practically a dead heat if Feigele leads Achora. This is because Feigele has been successful in letting the public forget her role in this past summer's war, particularly in the disasterous UN Security Council Resolution 1701 for which she was responsible.

What's Olmert up to? I think he's up to two things. First, he's beginning to treat Livni as a rival rather than as a colleague and with good reason. Second, he's warning his party that if they abandon him and flock to Livni, he will bring the party down with him. In Hebrew that's called תמות נפשי עם פלישתים (let me die with the Phillistines) and is a reference to the judge Samson (in the book of Judges) who killed thousands of Phillistines while bringing a building down upon himself and all of them. It's an ominous message for Kadima Achora, but a positive one for the State of Israel. Achora has been a disaster for the State of Israel. They must be unseated.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:59 AM