PM Livni? Are we crazy?

What is this nonsense about Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for prime minister? Let's put aside for a moment Israel's self-depreciation before the nations of the world, its unstable status, and the flawed public relations efforts, which the foreign minister is directly responsible for. Let's also put aside the question of why she was not decisive vis-à-vis Olmert during the war. But how did she become a party to a decision to embark on a war she had no idea about? And why didn't she resign right after it if she thought Olmert was unworthy?

Livni concocted Security Council Resolution 1701 in order to bring an end to the war. She boasts about it. If they comply with the agreement, she argued, things will be good for Israel. The results are known: Since the war, Hizbullah continues to grow stronger and enjoys a ceaseless flow of missiles and advanced weapons through Syria. In practice, because of the foreign armies deployed along the border according to the agreement, the IDF will find it difficult to hit Hizbullah in order to protect northern residents.

What kind of information was Livni's expectation that Hizbullah deliver on its part of the agreement based on? What kind of experience did she have when it was time to make such a crucial decision? Had she at least learned history, she would have been careful not to utter a sentence that is reminiscent of what British Prime Minister Chamberlain said before his death: "Everything would have been all right if only Hitler hadn't lied to me."

Livni, with all due respect, is there by coincidence. She was able to jump on the right bandwagon at the right time. She has no independent worldview. She zigzagged with her positions based on political benefits to be gained at the time. And while she's finishing up her one-year internship at the Foreign Ministry, she's already rushing to do some basic training at the Prime Minister's Office, at the expense of the public.

Have we lost it completely? Are we going to be guinea pigs again? Can Israel allow itself to hold another experiment in humans?

Epitome of political corruption

It's been several days now that resigning Coalition Chairman Avigdor Itzchaky is telling every newspaper and microphone that Olmert must quit in order to save Kadima. His words represent Kadima well: It is for good reason that his top concern is the welfare of his movement, while he completely failed to mention the good of the country.

The prime minister should not be surprised by the conduct of his colleagues, who are acting like mice fleeing a sinking ship. He knows better than others that most of those around him are nothing but opportunists whose entire existence within Israeli politics stems from an opportunity they happened upon to advance their personal interests. After all, he is the one who gathered them one by one to board the ship.

Kadima is the epitome of political corruption. It symbolizes a political culture premised on lies and deceit. It is a party lacking morals and institutions that was able to sell to the public bad merchandize that led to the Second Lebanon War disaster. It did it through the help of Israel's leading spinmeisters and in cooperation with some senior media figures who supported the cause.

We haven't seen Itzchaky and his colleagues place a loaded gun before the prime minister when Olmert said the government does not need an agenda or a worldview. We haven't heard them cry out over the government's futility in the face of daily rocket barrages on Sderot. They did not demand that Olmert resign and did not threaten to resign themselves, as long as they believed the reservists' authentic protest will be forgotten. So what happened now? The glue that attaches their rear-ends to the government seats is starting to melt, and this is something Kadima members cannot bear.

Olmert's personal failure, which was clear to everyone back in August, now received an official confirmation from Winograd. Yet the rot belongs to Kadima in its entirety. It isn't Olmert who should be resigning for the sake of Kadima; It is Kadima in its entirety which should be resigning for the sake of the country.