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Last update - 22:27 31/07/2008 ANALYSIS / Ehud Olmert failed in war and failed in peace By Aluf Benn Tags: Lebanon War, Israel  With eyes glittering with tears and a soft voice, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared last night before the few reporters who attended the event that marks his leaving office. Behind him, on the piano at the prime minister's residence, stood a large vase of white flowers, hiding the large painting of cypress trees painted by his wife, Aliza, hanging on the wall. In the near future the couple will look for a new home for that painting, and the aides who listened in silence to the announcement that their boss was stepping down will begin new careers. The short tenure of Olmert has left many of them wishing for more - a sense that they missed out on something big. "We were nearly there," one of the aides said. "On Passover last year we emerged from the Winograd Committee, and with the Lebanon War behind us, and with politics being stable it was possible to move ahead on the peace process. And then came the Talansky affair, and everything crashed on top of us. Too bad, Olmert could have done great things," his aide lamented. Advertisement Olmert came into office in a storm, with the collapse of Ariel Sharon, and is departing in a storm of police investigations. During the 31 months as prime minister, he failed to meet the main mission he had set for himself: a new border with the Palestinians on the West Bank that would ensure the future of Israel as a Jewish State. The task is now being left to his successors. Olmert excelled as a political manager and a leader of a coalition, but did not manage to gain public affection. His victory in the March 2006 elections was not decisive, and prevented him from transforming Kadima into the dominant ruling party. Only his exceptional skills in running political systems enabled him to enjoy relative stability in his post, until the collapse of recent weeks. He was better than his predecessors in giving attention and support to politicians, and appreciated the fact that their wish to keep their jobs and avoid early elections was more powerful than the public criticism directed against him. Olmert established a particularly good relationship with world leaders, and this year he managed to host the leaders of the United States (twice), France, Britain and Germany. Olmert's tenure was diverted from its path on June 25, 2006, the day Gilad Shalit was abducted to the Gaza Strip, and crashed completely two and a half weeks later, with the abduction of Ehud Goldwasser and Gilad Regev by Hezbollah. The abductions transformed him from being Sharon's successor, who intended to continue the process of disengagement, into the leader of a nation at war. Olmert failed this test three times: in the appointment of Amir Peretz as Defense Minister, in his rushed decision to embark on the Second Lebanon War, and in his decision to continue the war that had lost its point after the first strike of fire. The helplessness of the government during the war, the serious shortcomings in the conduct of the army, wore down the meager popularity of Olmert. The public was tired of him, and did not want his leadership, even when he tried to lead the country in a different direction. The irony is that the Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz, who are contending to be his successors, offered him ways out during the war. Livni suggested avoiding an escalation and bringing the offensive to an end a few days after it had started; Mofaz suggested an operation that may have saved Israel the frontal assault and spared the many casualties in the final week of the war. The disappointment of the public as a result of the war only became deeper as the corruption cases turned into an avalanche. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A green light Lebanese gov't passes statement backing Hezbollah's right to attack Israel. Life sentence Jewish oligarch convicted in Russia of murder in what he calls a 'show trial.'   1.   Last in war, last in peace and last in the heart of his country 13:53  |  Natallie Durson 31/07/08   2.   Nataly Durson 14:16  |  reader 31/07/08   3.   poor natalie 14:20  |  larry from maine 31/07/08   4.   Stupid headline. We all fail in WAR! 14:25  |  L A 31/07/08   5.   OLMERT AND ALL AROUND HIM ARE CORRUPT! 14:28  |  OLMERT=CRIMINAL 31/07/08   6.   Are we having fun yet? 14:59  |  Gideon Reader 31/07/08   7.   A Failure? Yes, but... 15:09  |  Erich 31/07/08   8.   Olmert failed - everyone else would have too. 15:11  |  Nitzan 31/07/08   9.   GOD`S REVENGE FOR DISENGAGEMENT:KAZAV,HALUTZ,SHARON,OLMERT....... 16:03  |  GUSH QATIF MUSEUM 31/07/08   10.   Yossi Verter writes the exact opposite in Haaretz,many achievemen 16:04  |  Genuine Tosefta 31/07/08   11.   You will miss Olmert 16:06  |  Keith T. 31/07/08   12.   Ehud Olmert failed......... 16:10  |  Grand Rabbi Popack 31/07/08   13.   olmert 16:40  |  azad 31/07/08   14.   Elect a better government NOW! 17:05  |  Fred Goepfert 31/07/08   15.   THE NEW LEADERS COULD HELP FORM A MORE COHESIVE GOVERNMENT WITH 17:30  |  glenna 31/07/08   16.   THE CURSED MERT WAS A FAILURE BEFORE HE EVER TOOK OFFICE AND 17:36  |  glenna 31/07/08   17.   Easy job for Livni 17:43  |  Ulf 31/07/08   18.   THAT`S RIGHT;AN EASY JOB FOR LIVNI IF THAT MERT CLONE IS ELECTED 18:03  |  glenna 31/07/08   19.   It`s not about Olmert 18:11  |  SD 31/07/08   20.   Livni an integral part of Olmert fiasco 18:41  |  Jonathan S 31/07/08   21.   KADIMA is a Choice between the Corrupt and the Mediocre 18:42  |  Dagma 31/07/08   22.   Benn Says "We Were Almost There" - Benn Is Nuts 19:03  |  Tod Zuckerman 31/07/08   23.   Olmert`s Skills Were Important 19:27  |  guy 31/07/08   24.   Durson#1 19:31  |  samk 31/07/08   25.   No brainer 19:46  |  Physicist 31/07/08   26.   Total Failure 21:19  |  Henry 31/07/08   27.   Re Larry #3 22:04  |  Esther 31/07/08   28.   Mr. Olmert, choose peace - Saudi Plan, not fickle public opinion 23:56  |  Ivar 31/07/08   29.   Give Olmert a break 23:59  |  Nat E 31/07/08   30.   OLMERT- Missing the point? 01:15  |  JOJO 01/08/08   31.   Olmert WAS MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN HAARETZ CAN ADMIT 01:51  |  US CITIZEN 01/08/08   32.   Olmert not TOTAL failure as long as there is no palestinian state 02:58  |  Voice of Reason 01/08/08   33.   The man had several talents 05:04  |  Mark Lincoln 01/08/08   34.   Ehud Olmert 12:43  |  aussie 01/08/08   35.   Analysis Half Cooked, Not Ripe 18:08  |  The Archives 01/08/08

Read & React Report: Hezbollah planning to 'force' IAF to cease overflights Responses: 183 Obama helps U.S. woman fight Palestinian husband for their daughters Responses: 91 Poll: Kadima led by Livni would edge out Likud in elections Responses: 71 Opinion: U.K. better than most of Europe at reporting anti-Semitism Responses: 40 Be firm with Iran, Mofaz urges U.S. leaders Responses: 77 More Headlines 01:26 Hezbollah official: Group is stronger than before, ready for war 01:18 Unknown assailants hurl brick at car in West Bank, injuring 7-year-old Palestinian girl 22:57 Mofaz on Iran: We won't allow a second Holocaust to occur 19:37 Poll: Kadima led by Livni would edge out Likud in elections 17:31 Russian court finds Jewish oligarch living in Israel guilty on four counts of murder 20:29 German museum displays Hitler's art online 01:45 Five Palestinians killed in tunnel collapse under Gaza-Egypt border 01:55 VIDEO: Photojournalist reveals raucous 1950s Tel Aviv nightlife 15:37 Olmert questioned by police for fourth time in graft probe 13:47 Minister's granddaughter attacked by elephant after sneaking into safari after hours 12:36 Kibbutz Kfar Giladi apologizes to families of troops killed there 12:27 OPINION: U.K. better than most of Europe at reporting anti-Semitism Previous Editions Select Day 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul

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