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Last update - 11:58 02/09/2008 Four comments on the situation By Yoel Marcus Tags: Barack Obama, Gilad Shalit  1.Berl Repetur, a Labor movement old-timer who wore khaki shorts and sandals until his dying day, used to say: "It doesn't matter how much it costs. The main thing is that it looks modest." Repetur was a modest man himself. Not only did he make do with a measly salary from the Histadrut labor federation, but he donated part of his earnings to the party, the Jewish National Fund and other causes. Over the years, the Labor Party has had, and still has, rich activists - attorneys and businessmen of the Pinhas Sapir school, the Mapainik who knew that the country could not be built by the hoe alone. Some Labor leaders are more than well off. They live in spacious homes and don't need checks from Morris Talansky to travel overseas and stay at ritzy hotels. Why aren't they being maligned and gossiped about? Because they don't flash their cash. Ehud Barak hasn't begun to understand what the problem is. He bought a fabulous luxury apartment in the Akirov Towers with money earned honestly during his six years of civilian life, after screwing up as prime minister. He met with Henry Kissinger, who owns a corporate consultancy firm, decided to follow his lead, and made a nice pile of money. On his return to politics, he realized that with a place like that he wouldn't go far, so he slapped on a crazy price tag and offered it for sale. I don't see any sin in that. If they pay, they pay. If they don't, they don't. Advertisement But he would be a lot smarter if he used some of the profit to cover the gigantic debts he left the Labor Party after losing the Knesset election. In making his choices, Barak has failed to understand that there are some things the head of a social democratic party doesn't do. Barak has a lot of brains, but the question is where he hides them. Barack Obama's victory speech after the Democratic primary was packed with information on every possible subject. Anyone in the world reading his words carefully could form an idea of what he plans to do and where he is headed if he gets into the White House. The four Kadima candidates think that the less they say, the greater their chances of winning. The only exposure so far has been Shaul Mofaz's feet, now clad in sandals after being told he dresses too formally. What does this reveal about his suitability to run the country? Is this how we choose our leaders? The difference between Israel and America is that over there nobody wants to get involved. Nobody wants to stand and watch a fight in the street, even out of curiosity. Around here, everyone wants to know what's going on, in a kind of sick nosiness. It never occurs to people that they might have prevented what happened. If only they reacted, if only they called the police when they heard something, or suspected something was happening right under their noses, in the apartment across the hall or in the park down the street, so many tragedies might be averted. If you see something terrible about to happen, don't treat it like gossip. Run to the police and sound the alarm. Our inability to free Shalit is a kind of impotence that we haven't seen around here since the disappearance of Israeli navigator Ron Arad. Apart from the humanitarian aspect, every day Shalit sits in captivity eats away at our power of deterrence. But when Hamas says it will not settle for less than a thousand prisoners in exchange for Shalit, we have reason to be proud. If one Israeli soldier is worth a thousand prisoners in their eyes, the honor is all ours - and the shame theirs. Before that sinks in, we must do everything to bring Shalit home, whatever it costs. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Turning a blind eye Ex-Mossad agent Rafi Eitan: We let Nazi doctor Mengele get away. Aloha Republicans Hawaii's first Jewish governor says Palin is more experienced than Obama.   1.   Defeatist and ugly opportunist Marcus strikes again 12:54  |  Absolute Sweden 02/09/08   2.   for hamas life doesn`t have a value 17:46  |  saul a. readner 02/09/08   3.   But you are hold 10,000 times more prisoners, Marcus 08:21  |  Johnboy 03/09/08

Read & React Bradley Burston: Our Hurricane Mahmoud and their Hurricane Gustav Responses: 95 Hamas leader Meshal 'leaves Syria for Sudan' Responses: 92 Editorial: Curb unlimited gov't aid to yeshiva students Responses: 39 Poll: Hamas popularity among Palestinians declining Responses: 42 GOP lawmaker: Palin-Buchanan tie is 'propaganda by Democrats' Responses: 91 More Headlines 06:11 Biden: Obama and I will be strong on protecting Israel 00:10 Syria President: Door is open to peace with Israel 08:19 Intelligence experts: Hezbollah determined to attack Israeli targets 07:19 Egypt, Jordan wary of partial Israeli-Palestinian deal 05:56 Israel, Egypt won't let Blair's sister-in-law leave Gaza by land 08:28 Suspect refuses polygraph on location of granddaughter's body 02:52 Former Shas strongman Deri mulls bid for mayor of Jerusalem 06:29 'We've become babysitters for Israelis abroad,' diplomats fume 01:01 Miki Goldwasser to run in Nahariya municipal elections 02:27 Jerusalem concerned as Egypt halts gas supply to Israel 05:18 Tiberias Woman, 75, lies dead for three days; disabled son unable to call for help 03:50 African refugees comprise 28 percent of tuberculosis sufferers in Israel 06:45 First homegrown solar station begins operations from moshav rooftop 02:37 Woman allegedly smothers 4-year-old son to death in Tel Aviv apartment Previous Editions Select Day 02 sep 01 sep 31 aug 29 aug 28 aug 27 aug 26 aug 25 aug 24 aug 22 aug 21 aug 20 aug

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