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Last update - 15:40 11/07/2008 ANALYSIS / Olmert can't recover from latest police interrogation By Amir Oren Tags: ehud olmert, corruption probe  At noon, as the white cars with the blue flashing lights sail on, Ehud Olmert tenure as prime minister is over. Officially, certain procedures will still be required for an orderly transfer of government, but for all practical purposes Olmert's tenure ends Friday morning. A jaded public is no longer moved by these interrogations: It's hot, it's boring, again those shots of the police arriving at the Prime Minister's Residence to interview him. But make no mistake: Olmert will not be able to recover from this interrogation and from the public response to its contents, once they are revealed. Toward evening the walls will begin to shake. Reports of Olmert's interrogation will mean expediting the pace of Olmert's ouster, from weeks to hours. Two years ago today, on the eve of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser's abduction on the Lebanese border, Olmert visited Israel Defense Forces headquarters and heard surveys filled with satisfaction. But one of the generals, Planning Division head Yitzhak Harel, warned him that processes over previous years had created "a hollow army." Friday, as Brig. Gen. Shlomi Ayalon and his team prepare to interrogate Olmert, it must be said that in the Olmert case the police have proved not to be hollow. Their conduct over the past two months made up for earlier embarrassments and mishaps. In their handling of the Olmert case the Israel Police succeeded in positioning itself as a professional organization that does not show favoritism even when the suspect holds the top job in the country. Advertisement Preparations by Ayalon's team of investigators are shrouded in secrecy, as though they are safeguarding strategic surprises - affairs yet unknown - and not just tactical surprises from the realm of envelopes. It is very possible that Olmert prepared well for the last war, utterly blind to the real threat impending in another sector. If this turns out to be the case, the investigators and State Prosecutor's Office will be able to notch up an immense achievement. This past week Olmert, his lawyers and spokesmen exhausted their energy on Talansky's cross-examination, on the legal inquiries in the United States, and on scandalous verbal sparring, without breaching the field-security wall of the police and prosecution. As on the eve of his first interrogation two months ago, Olmert will fail to know what questions are about to hit him and generate credible answers to them. The interrogators possess a fundamental, incriminating version, and Olmert will have to work hard to contradict it. He is a step away from an indictment on offenses of fraud, aggravated breach of trust, and maybe also bribe-taking. The envelopes case has been compared to a table with three legs - Morris Talansky, Shula Zaken, and Uri Messer. Even if each leg is slightly weakened, they would still remain solid enough together to support the case. So it will be useless to Olmert if the cross-examination finds that Talansky gave him only four envelopes in three places and not eight envelopes in five places. His problem this morning is that he might discover that the investigators are bringing into his official residence another table, or tables; that in this battle, Talansky is not alone. The moment of truth has arrived for Olmert, and for Israeli society and the political system which unthinkingly raised him up to the prime ministership and are about to bring him down. Related articles: Olmert suspected of asking various bodies to fund same foreign trips Police sources: If Olmert weren't PM, he would have been arrested Kadima agrees to September primary; Olmert unlikely to run Olmert to be quizzed by police for third time in Talansky probe Bookmark to del.icio.us   Smoking kills Tehran slams McCain for saying cigarettes could be used to kill Iranians. Case of deja vu Olmert and his office chief Shula Zaken were accused of similar charges back in 1991.   1.   I`m scared Mr. Nasrallah, How about you? 05:32  |  Imran 11/07/08   2.   This shows Kadima & Labor still was protecting Olmert The Crook 06:46  |  Shepherd 11/07/08   3.   OLMERT IS NOT ELECTED PM BUT ONLY CONFIRMED 08:02  |  Dagma 11/07/08   4.   Finally. This is what it took for Israelis to be rid of this man 10:08  |  BradL 11/07/08   5.   At noon, it is BELIEVED Olmert will not be serving asPM 10:29  |  justiceforall 11/07/08   6.   Is this a report or a political propaganda? 10:34  |  Ulf 11/07/08   7.   Why is he still PM? 11:09  |  Dror 11/07/08   8.   Good Riddance 11:25  |  Natallie Durson 11/07/08   9.   #4 BradL Why don`t you???????? 12:03  |  Jay A Friedman 11/07/08   10.   Amateur Analysis 12:04  |  guy 11/07/08   11.   #7 Why still PM 12:19  |  Ulf 11/07/08   12.   To Ulf @ 6 - You must be dreaming 12:42  |  charlie 11/07/08   13.   The Bungling Prime Minister Olmert. 13:13  |  Natasha 11/07/08   14.   #10,12 I just don`t believe this crap 13:42  |  Ulf 11/07/08   15.   To Ulf # 14 - Good Luck to the remaining 1%....... 15:08  |  Natasha 11/07/08   16.   "Olmert won`t be able to recover from this interrogation" 15:33  |  JP 11/07/08   17.   Author should throw away his Crystal Ball 15:44  |  * BEN JABO 11/07/08   18.   Dearest Ulf 16:02  |  David 11/07/08   19.   THERE IS NO MOMENT OF TRUTH WITH MERT/TRUTH IS NOT IN HIS BAG OF 16:13  |  glenna 11/07/08   20.   Wishful Thinking 16:40  |  Zev 11/07/08   21.   IT WAS THOUGHT MERT COULD NOT GIVE THE GOLAN EITHER BUT HE`S DONE 17:19  |  glenna 11/07/08   22.   DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200000! GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL! 17:36  |  OLMERT=CRIMINAL 11/07/08   23.   Olmert can`t recover 20:28  |  Eliahu 11/07/08   24.   Corruption 20:57  |  Ben Winnipeg 11/07/08   25.   To Ulf # 11 - Israelis neither voted for Olmert nor Elected him 20:59  |  Dagma 11/07/08   26.   Jews dont care? 21:06  |  Fritz T. 11/07/08   27.   Olmert may just recover in time....... 21:24  |  Dolly 11/07/08   28.   #25 C`mon you just voted Kadima! 09:52  |  Ulf 12/07/08

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