Olmert knows he's not popular
In Kadima meeting, prime minister concedes public opinion problems, but declares resolve to stay on
"I'm not a popular prime minister. The polls show this and the media makes sure to remind the public that I'm unpopular. Opposition members...and even politicians in my own party make sure to bring this up," said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at a press conference after a Kadima meeting Thursday.
With this opening statement, Olmert rejected what he referred to as a "political beauty pageant" and proceeded to defend himself.
He told party members and the public at large to ask themselves whether they prefer a popular prime minister or one who does his job, and declared his intention to stay in office for a full term of four years, saying: "I'm here to lead and to work."
The prime minister hinted that his popularity could have returned had he indulged in deficit spending and given money to local authorities or if he had listened to media military analysts and former generals when deciding how to manage last summer's war in Lebanon.
'He failed miserably as prime minister'
Olmert suggested that he was correct in his unpopular choice regarding the war, claiming that acting otherwise would have endangered IDF fighters, the kidnapped soldiers and the children in Sderot.
As evidence of his success as prime minister, he noted that, according to the most recent poverty report, the number of Israeli poor decreased this past year, in contrast to the past several years.
Regarding recent allegations that he was involved in a number of corruption scandals, Olmert said that such accusations were purely interest-based and that he had "nothing to hide."
"Had I worried more about public relations and less about strengthening the government and about Hamas, had I met with my lawyers instead of the Palestinian president, it is safe to assume I would have been more popular," Olmert said.
"If this is the price, I prefer to remain unpopular," he added.
The Likud party issued a statement in response to Olmert's speech, asserting that "Ehud Olmert is not popular because he failed miserably as prime minister. The public in Israel has good reason to think he must resign."
