Wouldn't lift a finger to help Ehud Barak. Olmert
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Will simply go home. Barak
Photo: Tomeriko
A tale of two Ehuds
Ehud O., Ehud B. are of similar ages, backgrounds, but only one will be prime minister
Few people in Israel remember that if Ehud Barak had been successful during his tenure as prime minister, today he would be wrapping up his second term, and six or seven years in the top job.
Israel could have been a completely different place – or perhaps not, if we think about Barak's wishy-washiness.
Now, in the best case scenario, Ehud B. (Barak) will occupy a seat of honor on the platform, as a former prime minister, to watch brokenhearted as another prime minister, Ehud O. (Olmert) raises his right hand to take the oath of office.
Afterwards, from his apartment high above Tel Aviv, Ehud B. will look at the Ehud O. government and remember. Sometimes it's nice to remember.
Comparing the two
Today, when the day-after Election Day scenario is crystallizing (barring any "atomic" surprises), a comparison beckons between the two Ehuds. The qualities one has, the other lacks – and vice versa.
They are roughly the same age, both have political experience; they are even friends and share a mutual respect. They have similar views, certainly today – but one's future is extremely cloudy, while the other is waiting to enter the prime ministerial ball like Cinderella.
Take note: Less than a month before Election Day no one is speaking about platforms or intentions or programs. The election campaign revolves around the personalities of three senior candidates.
Years after this phenomenon disappeared, the election campaign is once again personal, even if it isn't called as such.
Many similarities
As we said, many similarities can be drawn between the two Ehuds: They both vow to pull out of settlements, both have vast experience in public service, both are first-class media figures. Both are highly sophisticated, even shrewd, and both have spent their adult lives in one, and only one, profession (Olmert in politics, Barak in the Army).
At least twice, Ehud O. has supported Ehud B. in unprecedented manner (once when he lobbied for the latter to be nominated IDF Chief of Staff, the other when he said I the midst of an election campaign that "Ehud Barak will not divide Jerusalem" (he paid, and continues to pay, a political price for that support).
Today, Ehud O. wouldn't lift a finger to help Ehud B. After sitting on the fence for him, both as a Likud member and mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud O. waited nine whole months for a meeting with the prime minister. Nine months!
And this is exactly the difference between the two: character. Therefore, one Ehud will soon be prime minister outright, while the other will simply go home.
Likeable guy
Olmert's a people person. He likes people and they like him, almost without connection to politics. Last weekend's papers were rightly full of personal stories about him and his family.
When Ehud O. looks in your eyes, you feel like he's got nothing on his mind but you. When he asks "how are you," he is interested in the answer. He returns phone calls to everyone, h is warm, interested, and the instinct to hug other people long ago became second-nature for him. That's why people like him and believe in him (not everyone, of course. Olmert's got no shortage of political rivals and enemies).
This quality makes it possible to live with Ehud O.'s annoying outbreaks, because a minute later he's there to apologize. It doesn't cost him anything to say, "I was wrong."
And if we look at his political fortune of late, we see the path to the prime minister's residence is looking pretty solid – as long as he doesn't make a personal party to crown himself prime minister. He has too many good friends who will be disappointed if they are not invited.
Both, by the way, Ehud O. and Ehud B., have more friends outside their political parties than inside.
Both, O. and B., are highly capable, learned from those greater than themselves, and molded themselves after them (Begin, Rabin, and others). They have political, diplomatic and international experience (and B. also knows about security), but only one of them will be prime minister any time soon.
In order to be prime minister after Ehud O., Ehud B. must work hard, primarily on himself.
If he does this, he could certainly once again be prime minister.
Eitan Haber is a former director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office and a regular contributor to Israel’s leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth
