I say this has a non veteran who sits in the safety of ny but I am something of a history buff. Halutz made just about every mistake in the book. But there seemed to be deficiencies in training and logistics. And the responsibility for that lies also with his predecessors. Including Yaalon , who I saw in NY and I like.

Yeah, I agree 100%, yet the responsability to choose Halutz stays with Minister of defence ( who was that? mofaz?), sorry he was peretz who would choose a man of Morrocan background) and certainly with Arik, would never ever allow a pilot to run the general staff. ¿Is there an army where a pilot runs a general staff, and sells his equities a day before the war? Everydody knows a joke that Morocans can't be pilots, they drive their cars with their hand outside!!!! So how a Morrocan might be a Cheef of stuff? Only with morrocan Minister of Defence. Finally, the onus is on Peretz. One thing is to run the hystadrut, another is to tun the defence of ISRAEL:

During a war, the Israeli public is able to absorb blows and continue to function. The indicators are that as far as Israeli society is concerned, the basis exists for a strong spirit of its citizens. The public will be willing to bear any burden required of them. No decline in the numbers of Israelis volunteering for combat units was noticeable in the period following the 2006 war. The civilian public remained supportive of the war throughout, although they began to question the strategy being pursued to win it. The lesson of Israeli public resilience in the period of the Palestinian attacks on civilians in urban areas in 2001-2003 indicates that the Israeli public--the views of its enemies notwithstanding--is able to absorb blows and continue to function, if it is convinced that no alternative to the conflict exists.

To #3, what exactly do you have to say of substance .The racist nonsense you spew out casts a poor reflection on you,nobody else.

offense is the best defense

Should be #2 apologise to #3 for the obvious error.

The blind leading the blind. Peretz was in so over his head it was a joke...a bad joke, but a joke nontheless. PUT THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS!

Since when a stance against pilots being cheafs of stuff becomes a racist stance? are pilots a race?

Refreshingly our current chief of staff is not playing the "cleb" that so many of our arrogant generals did in the past.In normal societies most people dont even know the name of their top general.It was said in the past that we would be a normal society when Jewish prostitutes could flog their "trade" in Tel Aviv. This already happened ages ago.I long for the day when our top generals will be silently applying their trade behind the scenes.The minister of defence should be the only army spokesman,even he should be heard only sparingly.

Ashkenazi's speeches at the camps have done more for Israel's image than all the hasbara during cast lead from Olmert and the army of Israelis using broken englis and coming off as halting and clinical. He speaks clearly about Israel's right to defend herself, and with intelleigence and dignity he leads through strength. Last week, the emails were on fire after his speech at Platform 17.

To #9,some, perhaps, think that they are.

Dan Halutz was appointed Chief of Staff by Mofaz, but Arik Sharon dictated the decision from the top. Not only that he decided to have Kaplinsky as Halutz's deputy chief of Staff, and was planning to replace Haltuz with Kaplinsky after Halutz retired but Olmert was unable to execute this manuever after Halutz screwed up the war in lebanon (with kaplinsky's help). The reason they were both groomed as chief's of staff was because they were both Sharon lackies, arrogant Sharon-type yes men who "played ball" and were pliable and let Sharon do whatever he wanted. They were corrupt, like Olmert and Sharon. Otherwise why was Halutz selling his stocks the morning of the kidnapping before the war broke out??? So Moshe Yaalon is correct....In reference to your idiotic statement that only a morrocan would appoint a moroccan, it should be pointed out that Amir Peretz appointed Ashkenazi, so you make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Yes ,point well taken.Agreed.

1. a well-educated person would never have used a phrase " your idiotic statement", yet in Israel people allow themselves to express agressively. ¿Is this the climate that makes some nervous? I tought it was raining the other day. 2. A morrocan appointing another morrocan was a semi-joke. Is this an insult to be a morrocan, a S"T? I am a proud S"T, but am aware of S"T limitations especially with respect to hands out of the car windows. BTW, bugy is often wrong, except some very rare times he's right. 3. If I've offended a single morrocan ( like the late Dudu Topaz) I am ready to ask for a pardon from all morrocans, especially from Baba baruch and other babas, In'aal abu. 4. israel has became a corrupt country, unfortunately