'Tzipora' Livni 'unfit to lead'
You have to wonder what Labor party leader Ehud Barak's game is. Until now, I thought his strategy was to avoid elections now by installing Tzipi Livni as Prime Minister and then capitalize on her incompetence down the road. But lately Barak has been making noises about Livni not being a great candidate for Prime Minister and on Wednesday morning he 'lashed out at her' (not my words - JPost's). Barak called her 'Tzipora' (her real name - maybe I should send him a note suggesting he try 'Feigele'), called her 'unfit to lead,' and expanding on a line from his good friends the Clintons, saying that she's not fit to provide solutions "at three in the morning or at three in the afternoon." You all know I think she's incompetent, but wow! "Even if Tzipora Livni makes the decisions, this doesn't mean that she is fit to do so," Barak asserted in an interview with Army Radio. "Her pride in UN resolution 1701 puts her judgment in question," the Labor party leader added, referring to the cease-fire agreement that effectively ended the Second Lebanon War.
...
The defense minister went on to call Kadima a "refugee camp," claiming that the ruling party had "brought upon Israel the repercussions of the disengagement, the Second Lebanon War and a series of embarrassing affairs."
Barak did not spare Kadima's second front-runner for the prime ministerial candidacy, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, whom he criticized for inflammatory remarks he had made regarding Iran.
Barak implied that the US was opposed to an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities but maintained that the military option "must remain on the table."
There's nothing here I haven't said before, but there's a lot here we've never heard from Ehud Barak before about anyone in Kadima other than Olmert. So what's going on? Here's my take.1. Barak realizes that Livni is likely to win the Kadima primary.
2. Barak realizes that Livni has NO chance of forming a new coalition in which he would serve, because if Livni wins Shas is out, and there is no way anyone to Kadima's right will go into the coalition. Even if Mofaz wins, his chances of forming a new coalition are slim.
3. Number 2 means we are going to new elections. His strategy having been blown up in his face (there is no chance Barak can beat Netanyahu right now), Barak wants to make sure Labor is IN the government after the new elections. So he's lashing out at Netanyahu and Likud's opponents.
4. He's also frustrated because he understands that Kadima's inability to form a new coalition means that Olmert will head a caretaker government until sometime between January and March.
Note that I didn't mention that Barak is worried because of the decisions Olmert may take (or have to take in the case of Iran) as a caretaker (he's the last one who has a right to be critical on that score), nor did I mention that he's frustrated with himself because he should have brought the government down long ago but didn't because he knew he couldn't win an election anyway. Don't get your hopes up. Barak is just another Israeli politician who's afraid to pull the trigger. He showed that between September 2000 and February 2001.
By the way, maybe this has something to do with his attack?
UPDATE 5:18 PM
Kadima has reacted to Ehud Barak's Wednesday morning comments by calling him 'hysterical' and 'verging on collapse.'
"[Defense Minister and Labor leader Ehud] Barak is a hysterical person on the verge of collapse," Kadima members lashed out on Wednesday in response to an Army Radio interview in which Barak called Kadima a "refugee camp."Anyone want to take bets that Barak brings down the government before the Kadima primary in September? That's where it looks like this is heading.
"It is obvious that at the helm of a party on the threshold of bankruptcy there is an hysterical man whose conduct in the past few days only reinforces our conviction that Barak understands Kadima is a strong party," sources in Kadima said.
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman and Kadima MK Tzahi Hanegbi, who on Wednesday endorsed Foregn Minister Tzipi Livni in the Kadima primary race, told Army Radio he was encouraged that his political rival "is losing his temper and restraint and showing signs of distress."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:27 PM
3 Comments:
If Kadima goes with the incompetent Livni, it will putting the finishing touches on its coup d'grace. Its possible a Kadima headed by Livni could surprise the country. But its just as likely she will lead Israel down the same troubled path as Ehud Olmert. Ehud Barak is probably kicking himself for not moving to bring down the government earlier this spring when he had the chance. He has no credibility when he decided to prolong the government's life. At this point, its just cries of wolf from the Labor Party leader and no one's listening.
interesting to note (vis a vi Glick's recent column) that Barak calls for responsibility to be taken for the disengagement.
f you want to get formal on Tzipi the birdbrain's full name it is Tzipora Malka Livni Shpitzer.
Barak lacks the testicular fortitude (baytzim) to bring down the goverment, he will sooner run like he did at Tzeilim and like he did from Lebanon thus the name Ehud Barach.
And where is Eli Yishai these days? Olmert neither gave him a raise in Kitzvat Yiladim nor did he approve construction of apartments for chareidim , so why hasn't Shas brought down the gvt. ?
Do the words Volvo, maskoret and hatavot ring a bell?
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