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Housecleaning first By Yoel Marcus Tags: Shaul Mofaz, Tzipi Livni  The calling card presented by Tzipi Livni as the race began for Kadima's primary on September 17 reveals that behind the sweet, little-girl facade is a redhead raring to put up her dukes. Livni's semi-public spat with Ehud Olmert in the Knesset and her appearances in the media have shown that she is prepared for a tough battle to keep the current prime minister (who is not going anywhere yet) from scoring points through a hypothetical accord with Syria before leaving office. At the Paris summit, Olmert embarrassed himself and the country as he spun around Syrian President Bashar Assad like a top, while Assad kept his back turned for fear that Olmert might try to shake his hand. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, red-faced, stood between them like a concrete wall to prevent Olmert from leaping into Assad's arms. Advertisement It is very possible that despite his dramatic announcement on Wednesday that he is quitting, Olmert intends to hang on to his job for more than two months, or as long as he can after the party primary. The idea of Olmert prolonging his term may sound loony right now, but the two top contenders, Tzipi Livni and Shaul Mofaz, need to work together to ensure that no such horror comes to pass. Assuming that Livni and Mofaz are the front-runners, and knowing that they do not exactly see eye to eye on how to solve the problems of war and peace in this region, it is important for them to agree ahead of time on certain basic principles if they want Kadima to go on being a major centrist party and the one that leads the state. First of all, they need to reach an understanding that the loser will accept the party's decision gracefully, and the winner will appoint the loser to a worthy position in the government. Second of all, they need to buckle down and do some serious housecleaning in the party. They need to lay down rules that will prevent corruption in the future and find ways of screening political newcomers. With no skeletons in their closets, they have the moral authority to embark on a clean-up campaign in Israeli politics. Number three, the winner, no matter how drunk with victory, should not even think of pushing for early elections. This country needs early elections like a hole in the head. The victor may be on a high and hungry for more, but you do not always get what you expect. Better to leave the coalition intact, centered on a partnership between Kadima and Labor, and maybe even broaden it, as Livni has proposed, by forming a national unity government. Looking at the challenges that lie ahead, Israel needs a strong, sensible government. Assuming that we get it, general elections can wait until their scheduled time in 2010 - though such a thing has not happened around here for 20 years. Stability is critical. Number four, Mofaz has hired the services of Arthur Finkelstein, a top-of-the-line political consultant who is also a whiz at drumming up voters. The main thrust of their campaign is that Livni lacks leadership experience, which they assume will make her easy prey once the battle begins. If I were Mofaz, I would not write Livni off so quickly. She has served in the Knesset for 10 years, headed seven government ministries, sat in the defense cabinet and been a party to a series of important decisions. Livni has plans to move forward with peace accords, while Mofaz, an old warhorse, may lead the country into a major offensive in Gaza of the sort we know how to start but not to end. Number five, Livni and Mofaz have inherited the "Sharon legacy" from the founders of Kadima. This is a legacy we remember fondly for the Sharonic principle that the time has come to wake up from the dream of a Greater Israel and gradually work out permanent borders, in collaboration with President George W. Bush, based on the concept of two states for two peoples. In practice, however, Sharon erred twice: (a) in carrying out the disengagement from Gaza unilaterally, without an agreement, thereby leaving southern Israel at the mercy of Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah and Iran; and (b) in making Olmert his deputy, to compensate him for being passed over as finance minister. Tough guys like Sharon never dream of themselves slipping into a coma one day. And finally, the winner of the primary needs to act in keeping with the wishes of the majority of Israelis. Those wishes were made clear in the opinion polls that predicted 39 seats for a Sharon-led Kadima in the elections for the 17th Knesset. What Israel wants is an honest centrist party whose leader and ministers are not under police investigation, a party that is aiming for peace and is able to unify and rally the people around it. It does not matter who the winner is - Mofaz or Livni. What matters is moving forward in the spirit of Sharon's vision, to the government of continuity and change that the country so desperately needs. Bookmark to del.icio.us   History in the making N.Y. governor pays historic visit to Orthodox synagogue for Sabbath services. Under the rubble Five Palestinians suffocate to death after Egypt blows up tunnel.   1.   well-said, mr. marcus 07:15  |  saul a. readner 01/08/08   2.   say shalom to Ariel Sharon 08:43  |  king of Israel 01/08/08   3.   Marcus`s logical arror 16:12  |  michael cohen 01/08/08   4.   Livni/Mofaz 21:53  |  David Friedman 01/08/08   5.   The left needs elections like a whole in .... 04:39  |  Michael 02/08/08   6.   by the way, I was really housecleaning for a change... 05:02  |  Smadar 02/08/08   7.   Yoel Marcus Afraid that Labor Will lose it`s position 09:19  |  Baruch Gold 02/08/08   8.   The Israeli rotten electoral system... All you need is 17.000 V 00:27  |  Arie Raif 03/08/08

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