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Light artillery By Yoel Marcus Tags: Gaza, elections, barak, news Pinhas Sapir, the "kingmaker" of the Mapai party of yesteryear, had a keen eye for deciding who was or wasn't fit to be prime minister. When he was given a list of proposed candidates, he would skim through it and remark: "Light artillery." In another three weeks, Israel will be going to the polls to elect the 18th Knesset and nobody has a clue yet whether the war has produced a new leader or changed the political map. Just because someone has led the country in a successful war doesn't mean that person automatically deserves to be its civilian leader. A classic example is Winston Churchill, who inspired his countrymen to be courageous and ran the war with an iron hand, but afterward lost the elections to Labor leader Clement Attlee, a mediocre prime minister about whom Churchill once quipped: "An empty car pulled up in front of Parliament this morning and Clement Attlee got out." Advertisement The public admired Churchill as a war leader, but after an era of blood, sweat and tears, it wanted a Labor leader who could get the country back on its feet and repair the ravages of the war. Ehud Barak has emerged from the Gaza war as a Class-A military leader, and theoretically at least, if he is elected to the Knesset in the upcoming elections, he could become prime minister. But the Churchill precedent may also apply in his case. The public that stood in awe of his skills as defense minister may not necessarily see him as the man for prime minister. Many people still hold it against him that he stayed away from politics for six years after his defeat at the polls. It annoys them that he went off to make money, bought a ritzy apartment, hobnobbed with the rich and famous, and most of all, never weaned himself off his snootiness toward people devoted to him while he was prime minister. Barak has doubled his ratings in the public opinion polls, but he and his party are still in third place - not in a position to put together a government, but able to be a senior partner in a coalition, in the role of defense minister. Maybe he will be prime minister some day, but not in these elections. The problem is the hostility against him in the political establishment. Many are convinced that at his age, people don't change. On the other hand, a person with an IQ like his should be able to learn from his mistakes. If life has given us a laboratory where we can observe how our leaders conducted themselves during Operation Cast Lead, there is no reason the negative attitude toward Barak can't change, says one of his associates, if not in this election then the next. The sad truth is that up until now there is no candidate clearly in the lead among the top three parties. Ehud Olmert's performance in his last days as head of Kadima has been outstanding, but everyone knows he has no chance of being reelected. Benjamin Netanyahu has been standing on the sidelines, playing the role of patriotic kibitzer and international PR man. He is sure the public will vote for him, although it is hard to say exactly why. The race for power will be between Likud, Kadima and Labor, with Likud and Labor making a supreme effort to encourage their members who ran off to found Kadima to "come home," weakening Kadima. But Kadima is not going to disappear from the map as did short-lived centrist parties like the Democratic Movement for Change, Shinui and the Center Party. According to the polls, it will survive as one of the two major parties thanks to Tzipi Livni. We have some kind-hearted politicians saying that Livni didn't invent the wheel, but the opposite is true. Livni worked out an excellent deal with the U.S. administration whereby the United States will head an initiative to halt the arming of Hamas and keep Iran and other sources from supplying it with weapons. True, America will be swearing in a new president today, but it is customary in the United States for an incoming president to honor the agreements signed by the previous administration, even at the last minute. To Livni's credit, she was the first person to get up in the Knesset and demand a military response to the Qassam attacks, long before Barak ordered the operation. She was also the one who insisted on a unilateral cease-fire. Since there is no politician right now perceived as a surefire candidate for prime minister, and the public regards the current lineup as "light artillery," our best bet is to forget about slogans and stickers and adopt Barak's proposal for a series of televised debates between the candidates for office. The time has come to stop treating the voting public like a bunch of dummies. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A new America President Obama: U.S. is a friend of all nations, ready to lead again. Ignoring white flags Gazans claim some Palestinians were waving white flags when shot by IDF.   1.   Livni and Barak will defeat Bibi in the last minute. 03:52  |  Fortuna Benmayor 20/01/09   2.   i ask myself especially... 12:09  |  saul a. readner 20/01/09   3.   #1 Fortuna. Many will hold their nose and vote for Bibi because 20:10  |  Chaim 20/01/09   4.   Attlee not mediocre at all 20:51  |  Charlie Hall 20/01/09   5.   Barak 21:49  |  alex 20/01/09   6.   Barak Has Made WAY too Many Mistakes 04:45  |  Tod Zuckerman 21/01/09   7.   Isreal is Guilty 05:10  |  SUNDAY 21/01/09

Read & React The first day: President Obama to embrace role in meets on Iraq, economy Responses: 89 Shai Golden: A strong, victorious Israel is far more likely to make peace Responses: 5 IDF probes improper use of phosphorus shells in Gaza Strip Responses: 25 Amira Hass: IDF also kills Palestinians with 'legal' weapons Responses: 5 More Headlines 09:52 IDF completes pullout of all soldiers from Gaza 09:00 The first day: President Obama to embrace role in meetings on Iraq, economy 11:25 'Israel must look into Shalit's fate after bombing of Gaza' 06:53 ANALYSIS / Aside from Iraq, Obama's plans for the Mideast are still vague 04:11 IDF probes improper use of phosphorus shells in Gaza Strip 10:41 12 men arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing Tel Aviv teen 07:37 Israeli human rights activists: Arrest Olmert, Livni, and Barak for war crimes 09:04 Obama considering veteran troubleshooter George Mitchell as Mideast envoy 10:53 India, Israel closing weapons deals worth $600 million 07:06 ANALYSIS / Jordan's king is torn between U.S.-Egypt and Syria-Hamas axes 05:58 Olmert to Ban: Probe into Gaza war devestation must take rocket damage into account, too 07:30 Cheering on Obama in Israel: 'Finally getting America back' 23:52 Olmert: U.S.-Israeli relations will grow even stronger under Obama 02:06 Israeli Lebanon war film 'Waltz with Bashir' shown in Beirut 07:12 Tel Aviv-Jaffa population hits all-time high of 391,300 07:33 Jewish World / Voldemort's sidekick turns Jewish psychiatrist in film on Nazi era 06:49 Elite begins using leftover coffee beans to power Safed plant Previous Editions Select Day 20 jan 19 jan 18 jan 16 jan 15 jan 14 jan 13 jan 12 jan 11 jan 09 jan 08 jan 07 jan

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