the ayatollahs clearly provoked Livni & Barak to the breaking point in order to force these two incompetent weaklings to finally respond. Now the ayatollahs' and Plocker's favorite candidates, who concede and surrender everything, can now claim "VICTORY" and re-seat themselves in the Knesset.

What if there is another invasion 6 months from now? Do you appoint Olmert king? The US elected Obama during a war - that is what democracies do.

Israel is now paying a huge price to deal with gaza rockets for the withdrawal from north gaza and phialdelphia. Sharon was dead wrong as was mitzna. The problem is not this move by israel or that move. its not about 67 borders. Its about the existence of israel since 48. Arabs don't want it period. they may hate each other and cut each other's throats but they all sunni and shia hate israel. Even Turkey hates israel. That's why a clown like dianne buutu, a lawyer can hide behind her legalisms and spout lie after lie. Who are the arabs? They never discovered a drop of oil , send their kids to american universities who they hate. Arabs are basically medieval backward screwballs. That's who they are. israel will have to retake philadelphia at the least as it cannot be policed. Israel will soon have to abandon legal principles, turned savage and destroy every gun carrying gazan, every ,mosque. Arabs of gaza, get out while you can, we are coming in the middle of the night, dressed like you to cut you.

So, let's see if I've got this right. Israel should suspend democratic accountability and criminal procedures so Kadima and Olmert can stay in power. Is that about right? That there may or may not be a "dime's worth of difference" on specific social or economic matters is not the issue. The electorate have a right to have a say about what's been done in their name by the current coalition, and what happens "the day after" the conflict winds down: about the future of the territories, including the Golan; about relations with the PA and Syria; about Iran; about prisoner releases; about taxes and budgets. They have a right to choose who they trust to stand up to foreign pressures, including any potential shifts in US support. And as much as many have blasted the politicization of the police and judicial system in Israel, Plocker wants to take it to the extreme by suspending Olmert's prosecution. February 10 can't come soon enough.

If the United Stated could manage to hold election in 1864 Israel can manage it next month. And I would think that now is actually the best time to hold elections to establish a clear leadership. What this author advocates is a rolling putsch.

Mr Plocker calls the democratic process in essence absurd. It is he and his suggestion to delay elections which are absurd. US, England and many other countries hold elections in wartime. As I recall the USA even has held elections during its Civil War. Maybe Israel can have another war in June to delay election yet again. [Not serious ]

I have never read such utter rubbish in my life! Os this what this operation was all about? extending Olmerts reign of appeasement for 6 more months? Plocker is nuts! If Olmert tries to do what Plocker suggests, there will be a civil war! NO ONE WABT OLmert, Livni or BArak in power anymore.....they have done enough damage!

We're not much of a democracy anyway, our political system makes a mockery of democracy. That being the case, why not dispense with the charade & have a military coup? Far more people respect the IDF & no one (except Plocker) respects our politicians. Look at all the money we'd save on salaries for useless parasites, hangers-on, incompetents, & political hacks. Without political interference, the war would proceed in a far more professional manner. We might actually accomplish something for a change. But the major benefit of a military coup would be that we could FINALLY get on with major reform of our political system, something our politicians would never do. What do you say to that, Mr Plocker?

The truth prevails. This military action against hamas and the rockets is only a election tactik.The cowardly barak lost all favour with the people. Kadima became the laughing clown of the world What better way to up the ratings START A WAR Not thinking of the people who will be killed ratings are more important. These politicians are really mentally sick

The decision to launch the Gaza operation at this particular moment is a transparent attempt by Livni and Barak to rebuild their security credentials ahead of the election, and by Olmert to improve his pathetic legacy and cling to power just a little bit longer. If Olmert, Barak and Livin hadn't waited so long to act against Hamas and the rockets, this election timing issue wouldn't exist. I have a better idea. Let's allow the democratic process to play itself out the way it is supposed to. And Sever, please stop insulting the readers' intelligence.

Haven't they caused enough problems? And now their "we are ladies" warfare is causing more defeat, more attacks. Off with their heads already.

verging on the satanic, he writes this pro-kadima pro-traitor piece pretending the ladies' mini-warfare is anything more than an election stunt. more terrorists, more rockets, that's the only result of this namby-pamby fake war. plocker is not a journalist (not even a bad one) but a party hack.

I don't even bother to read Sever Plocker's ill thought out scribblings. Why are the elections unneeded? The people that are presently in power created this mess and need to be got rid of ASAP. We already see a split between Olmert, Barak and Livni which is the kind of split that created the problems with the so called Lebanese war. Mike

B"H It' is as simple as 1,2,3. Defense Minister Barak laid out the three objectives of the offensive: dealing Hamas a forceful blow, fundamentally changing the situation in Gaza, and bringing to the cessation of rocket attacks against Israeli citizens. Chances are that these objectives will not be met. I suggest the three real reasons are: 1. To re-elect Kadima and re-empower our own PLO, Peres, Livni and Olmert. 2. To replace Hamas in Gaza with Fatah in order to bring about the one state dissolution and 3. To give Gaza to "our" terrorists - the 'moderate' murderers under Abbas with whom the leftist Israeli establishment can negotiate away our existence. Conclusion: no elections will ever make any difference here, in the Holy Land: only Hashem will and the best way to fasten this process is to stay away from the polling station. It is not desirable nor it is possible to re-form the State from the inside - as it has no form. www.torahrevolution.blogspot.com

Terry # 9 said it all. Democracy in this country can only be likened to a Shakespearean play, I am never sure as to which category it belongs, tragedy, comedy or farce. After sixty years of suffering unelected politicians and having PMs stuffed down our throats the time has come for change. I for one will vote only for the party that declares and swears it will bring true democracy to our People, otherwise I will not vote and I shall encourage others to do the same. Nobody wanted Olmert and nobody wants him today, that is what the election is about. Socialism as a governing regime is passe Mr. Plocker, or have you not noticed.

I was only half-way being sarcastic. If the IDF registered as a political party, they would get more votes than all the other parties combined. We would be the first country to have a democratically elected military coup. Our political system sucks big-time - it has held us back for 60 years & threatens the future of the country. It should be self-evident that politicians have no interest in changeing a system that so unfairly benefits them at our expense. Apologists like Plocker have been spreading bad ideas for far too long, a form of brainwashing that is ruining this country. Combined with a disasterous educational system, we are becoming a nation of brain-dead losers - a bunch of sheep being led to the slaughter with barely a boo (or in this case, a baa). I may sometimes sound very right-wing but actually I am firmly committed to democratic values unlike those on the left who use the rhetoric of democracy as they do their best to undermine democracy. Democracy is not rhetoric - it is a very complicated balance between the rights & obligations of the individual & the rights & obligations of the society collectively.

You do not hold elections when it is convenient, you hold them in their time. Yassir Arafat had a lot of lame excuses for scuttling subsequent elections. The author knows nothing about how a healthy democracy functions.

On being invited one day to give a speech before a gathering of Parliamentarians he opened by saying. 'Whenever I meet you I am confronted with a dilemma, namely as to which profession is the oldest in the world". I am sure you will appreciate the profound subtlety of a genius in spite of the fact that he was described as being "left of left".

In a less philosophical vein, the functioning of a political system is intimately connected to it's formal structure, the degree of accountability it fosters, the ability to remove incompetents, how responsibility is assigned. Everything must be judged by outcomes - abstract theories must have a grounding in reality. Our system fails miserably by any objective standards.

B"H Just because democracy, real democracy, provides checks and balances Terry, it doesn't mean it is good for us or that we should have it. It may be good for the nations, but the Jews were given a different role in this world: the Torah. Now, the Torah provides us with detailed instructions as to what institutions to set up ON THE LAND and how to run them. These are not knesset and supreme court. That is why our present Hellenistic system doesn't work: because Hashem doesn't want it to work (for us). We should be acclaiming Him clear and loud King, His Law The Law and His Torah institutions our institutions. The IDF already is in power and what do we get? Sharon, Barak, Ayalon and the likes. What we need is Jews doing Jewish, not goyish, things on the Land. See thetorahlevolution.blogspot.com

As each party jockeys for power by touting how harsh they can be on the Palestinians and Arabs in general, you are merely shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

No election ONLY if Olmert declare what in US called Marshall Law. Any protester shot on the spot. Arabs cannot travel like before Six Day War. NO Arabs outside their homes. No Arabs movement anywhere, etc. Then In will agree to no elections. In any case, another war will be in June if Kadima is still in power.

You of course meant martial.

Absurd premise of the author, to keep the weak, left defeatest dem liberals in power. G-d willing to Right will triumph over the dangerous left!