Opinion
Just like in America?
Amnon Levy
Published: 04.08.08, 17:43
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26 Talkbacks for this article
1. Obama-Mofaz comparison
franc ,   canada   (08.04.08)
All this its so ridiculous - to compare Barack Obama with Shaul Mofaz - c'mon! - Mofaz has been a complete failure in all function that has done. Israel could achieve a new low level with Mofaz as PM - it's not a joke, it's VERY worrying!
2. Excellent comparison. Just like Obama, Livni/Mofaz are
Miriam ,   Israel   (08.04.08)
not the preferable choice of the citizens of the country. Olmert's extremely low rating - about 3% - was way before his investigations. Mofaz/Livni's following in his footsteps have the same low ratings of the citizens of the country. Since Israel is NOT A DEMOCRACY, the citizens will NOT be involved in the election - just like the citizens were NOT involved in the election of Olmert - and Israel still claims to be a democratic country. LOL!
3. yeh, keep electing those morons
(08.04.08)
4. How can you compare Israel with America?
Miriam ,   Israel   (08.04.08)
While America is a Democratic country where the citizens have a choice whom they want for President, Israel has no such option. Olmert was not selected by the citizens of the country and neither will Mofaz or Livni be. PROOF ONCE AGAIN that ISRAEL is NOT a DEMOCRATIC country!
5. Levy suffering gender confusion - truth is, LIVNI IS OBAMA
Global Citizen ,   Israel & USA   (08.04.08)
He wrote it himself: "Tzipi Livni, who thus far has been able to hide who she is." (sound familiar?) vs. Mofaz, who has a proven track record of being proactive. Perhaps he's objectionable to some for various reasons (sound familiar?), but at least he isn't the primping do-nothing master of 'I-Told-You-So'.
6. Live in the land of Oz
shrinkDave ,   miami usa   (08.04.08)
Delusional thinking that includes indexing everthing in Israel to the USA is harmful to Israeli society. Israel, if you haven't noticed, is in the middle east, a really dangerous place on earth. USA, on the other hand is between Canada and Mexico. Stop with the halucinagens already.
7. What did he say???
Concerned Israeli   (08.04.08)
I would like to know on what basis does this guy claim that Bibi "failed." I can understand his claim that Barak failed, unconditionally withdrawing from Lebanon to leave a vacuum for Hizballah to build its arsenal that would supply its attack of thousands of missiles on the north six years later. Not to mention his discount blowout sale of Israel in his offer of EVERYTHING to Arafat, something by the way that Livni would have no problem doing. But how can he claim that Bibi "failed." How does he define failure? Did he bring on a war? Did he put 97% of the Palestinians' demands on the table without asking anything in return except a handshake? Bibi might not have brought peace and love to the Middle East and maybe we're not all holding hands and dancing in the flower fields, but Bibi as PM was far better than any other PM we've had in the past two decades. But I guess that doesn't mean anything when you're a Kadima lovin journalist.
8. Consider that sending up oil prices was intentional ..
redmike ,   Tel Aviv   (08.04.08)
Amnon Levy doesn't seem to have considered that sending up oil prices might be an excellent idea and that because Mofaz did it again a couple of days ago it's unlikely that it was a slip of the tongue. What better way to get Europe and the US to get really serious about Iran than to force them to consider what will happen if Israel attacks Iran and oil prices hit $400 or more per barrel! The more they consider what will happen to the price of oil the more likely they are to take quicker and stronger action. Let's hope Mofaz threatens Iran again. Amnon Levy then goes on to give his opinion of targeted assassinations etc as if they are fact. Who will he vote for in the next elections if Meretz doesn't pass the threshold? Mike
9. #2 - Israelis chose Olmert ..
redmike ,   Tel Aviv   (08.04.08)
there are no democracies but Israel is as close to being one as any of the other so called one. Why do you say that Olmert was not elected? On January 4, 2006 Prime Minister Sharon suffered a massive stroke and went into a coma, in which he still remains. Designated Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took power, becoming interim Prime Minister 100 days after Sharon's incapacitation. Following the March 2006 elections, which left Kadima as the largest party in the Knesset, Olmert became prime minister. Mike
10. #4 - in the US you basically have a choice of two parties .
redmike ,   Tel Aviv   (08.04.08)
You're on some kind of roll today. America is nowhere near to being a democracy. Not only do you only get a choice of one party or the other, but only if you have the backing of million of $ can you run in the primaries. The above is your idea of a democracy? Neither is the UK where you get a choice of three parties. For better or worse people in Israel get a choice of several parties. Mike
11. She saw folly in not fighting back?
Steven Wilson ,   Anchorage, Alaska   (08.04.08)
What a inept coward. No one said Lebanon had to be invaded. Destroy Lebanon's cities next round with big bombs. Don't tell us you won't fight....and are willing to give the terrorists all of your land, after being threatened and attacked. Pay me the big bucks.....I could give your country away from the nearest pub. Get rid of this spineless woman. She will bring her degree with her to negotiate with the terrorists. They respect college educated idiots with degree's. They understand how to read a map which has Israel erased and replaced with a terrorist habitat for humanity, She'll beat them over the head with her rolled up degree and say, "Bad boy....don't let me catch you doing that again." Is this the best that you can do? Give me a break. Anti war promoter leads Israel. Palestinians quiver in their bomb vests. She's a lot like Hillary though.....she'll sit up in her office and do nothing. Other than redecorate the place. You could give her Arafats old room. She'll be surrounded by terrorists just like he was. With no where to go. Is this Israels fate? C'mon....you can do better than this.
12. 10# We like our million dollar babies forced down our throat
Steven Wilson ,   Anchorage, Alaska   (08.04.08)
Without them.....no one would spend our currency into oblivion. They spend spend spend......lie about having huge surpluses......then the other idiot," Bush", gives everyone a tax cut on Bill Clinton's bogus lie about having a budget surplus. Whats not to love about this Democracy, which will ultimately end with the collapse of the dollar and hyperinflation. If our leaders weren't so complicit in lying and being deceitful.....we'd have to go back to watching soap operas on television. If you ever wonder how the banks got away with lying to the public, and selling a bill of goods on bad home mortgages......you need look no further than the government. The government has been lying and spending money they can't pay back for years. The last time the national debt was paid down was 1957. So much for Bill Clinton's, "I have a Surplus" fantasy. Search on Yahoo.com's search engine and punch in, "Public Debt to the Penny." This is the United States Treasury website. On the left hand side of the page it says,"Historical Debt Outstanding"....click on it. It has the United States debt listed in 50 year increments from the inception of the United States. We haven't paid the debt down since Dwight Eisenhower was in office. Our currency is going to implode because of it. It is fun to watch the candidates lie about paying down the debt.....and having a balanced budget. What a farce. Democracy at work.
13. #9 Kadima was elected but OLMERT APPOINTED HIMSELF as head.
Miriam ,   Israel   (08.04.08)
In the U.S. the people get to choose the best person from the party they select. Unlike in Israel, where the party chosen means nothing because the person representing the party can have complete opposite political views of that same party. Olmert is a good example of what Sharon's Kadima party is supposed to stand for. According to Olmert’s political policies, Kadima is the same Left-wing as Labor and perhaps even as extreme as Meretz, while Sharon and many others in Kadima are more to the Right.
14. to #9 Mike
Rick ,   NYC   (08.04.08)
Mazuz made Olmert temporary PM since Mazus said that Sharon could recover. If Sharon were not PM after Jan 4 then Bibi would had formed the gov't in January and won the elections in March.
15.  Just like
Ellis   (08.04.08)
Vote for Livni because we know noting about her ? That makes her an Obama - and he keeeps changing his view daily. Oh, yes, Livni did give us UN Res 1701. Also, she stayed in office despite declaring Olmert incompetent. So, maybe we do know enough to decide. perhaps we know more than enough. Elections Now
16. mofaz/livni
sas ,   israel   (08.04.08)
it would be GREAT if it would be like Obama and Clinton. At least both are intelligent, have proper education and know how to behave. Mofaz has proven to be a total failure and Livni can only comb her hair. both are total failures as politicians.
17. 10
zionist forever   (08.05.08)
The US & UK have fewer parties but they have more democracy at least there you vote directly for the individual congressmen or MP's in Israel you vote for a party then the party leader appoints the men & women who will fill those seats based on a system of who will suck up to the boss most. Then the budget and alot of government politics are based on what the other parties want as a condition of joining your coaltiion. It attracts the worst and usualy leaset qualified people as ministers Amir Peretz was proof of that the man had never even served in the army and new nothing about millitary matters but because Olmert wanted Labour in his coalition he gave the defense post to Peretz. $ha$ when it looked for a little while that Olmert might have elections forced onto him he had recently cut the education budget but in return for their support he offered to spend millions to spend on the social welfare projects that they wanted. There is no democracy in Israel at best its a system that is on the border of democracy the whole system is based on political apointments, it brings all the wrong people into politics and its a breeding ground for coruption and incompitance. Israel needs direct elections, 3-4 parties and no more single issue ones and we must end the coalition system the party that gets the most MK'S ELECTED ( not appointed ) they make up the government no buying off other parties for support.
18. #14 - there were elections and the public chose Kadima when
redmike ,   Tel Aviv   (08.05.08)
Olmert was acting PM. People that voted for Kadima knew they'd get Olmert. I voted for Lieberman so don't blame me :-) Mike
19. Mike #9 & 18 is right
Steve ,   US   (08.05.08)
Come on people. Why delude yourselves? Jews who voted for Kadima, March 2006, voted for the traitorous Ehud Olmert and Company, malfeasance and corruption. Jews who voted for Shas in March 2006 voted for collusion, malfeasance and corruption. Enough self-delusion!
20. Stop watching TV
robert goldman ,   Kfar Saba Israel   (08.05.08)
You are begining to see to much America in everything. Kohav Nolad. and the rest of that brain numbing crap has spilled over to every part of this country to where it is actrually loosing it's culturial identy, Hell even the writers at this rag are trying to do that national enquirer crap
21. Obama and Mofaz
Brooke ,   Philadelphia USA   (08.05.08)
Why would Obama be offended by this comparison? He most likely has no clue who Mofaz is and could care less. And um, sorry Livni, you're no Hillary. She could run circles around you. Besides, she knows English.
22. Full steam ahead
ben Ish   (08.05.08)
Like the way things are going? Like the way Lebanon II turned out? Keep doing what your doing, keep Kadima in power and let them continue the self-destruct sequence. Based on too many Israeli's inability to learn from the past, and the self-hating present, and the power to believe that real evidence is only an illusion, I fully predict a Kadima victory, and much rejoicing for it in Lebanon, Gaza and J&S. Oh, and Iran and our soon-to-fail-semi-allies, the US.
23. just like in america
sad ,   israel   (08.05.08)
please:compare 1. livni to clinton 2. mofaz to obama. livni n mofaz have been members of a government of liars. they are liars themselves.
24. Who would be jealous of the American Democrat Party?
USA   (08.06.08)
Israelis must be just as loony. Might very well be true. They both love the enemy more than their own children.
25. Democrats
Fred ,   US   (08.06.08)
They are like French. When faced with war they say "We surrender!!!"
26. Right and left, up and down, forwards and backwards...
Alexander ,   Herzliya, Israel   (08.06.08)
...and nowards. What about RIGHT and WRONG? Unite the people, strenghten our freedom, liberty, individuality, morality and ethics, democracy, our free market, get rid of the enemy inside and outside our land and make something good out of this land and people. Livni/Mofaz: You are disgusting. Leave Israel. Please. Olmert - you need no comment. Barak - you are stupid. Netanyahu - I place my hope in you this time - don't spoil the chance to lead Israel to a better and brighter future.
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