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Last update - 18:19 02/04/2008 Dream team: Which President-Prime Minister combo works best? By Shmuel Rosner Tags: Clinton, Israel, McCain  Our Israel Factor panel was toying this week with something that Hillary Clinton would definitely call a hypothetical question (and refuse to address): Which American candidate can work best with which Israeli leader? Knowing that Americans go to the polls in a few months, and reasonably assuming that Israel will also hold elections sometime next year (it could happen earlier, if Ehud Barak meant business when he said this week that the Labor Party will leave the coalition sooner than people think), determining the nature of relations between the leaders of the two countries for years to come could be an important issue. Predicting the nature of such future personal relations between leaders is, of course, more a game than it is a serious analytical forecast. However, at this point in the race we have gotten to know the three American candidates, and we are familiar with the policies and the personalities of the possible Israeli candidates ? so why not play? Advertisement The task was simple: rank from 1-5 each of the possible matches. A score of 1 means a not-so-hot relationship, 5 is a perfect match. We asked the panel to rank the three Americans in the race against four possible Israeli candidates: current prime minister and not very popular Ehud Olmert; the fairly popular foreign minister, Tzipi Livni; the not-so-popular, but still defense minister and leader of the Labor Party, Ehud Barak; the leading-in-the-polls Likud leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. These were the results. Comments to follow: A. Two of the Israeli leaders in this poll have a history of relations with the Clinton family. Barak got along very well with President Bill Clinton in the short time he was prime minister. No wonder the panel predicts he will get along quite well with the other Clinton now in the race. Netanyahu, on the other hand, didn't have such good relations with Bill Clinton or the Clinton administration (senior U.S. officials celebrated when he was defeated by Barak in 1999), and the panel does not expect him to get along with Hillary Clinton. B. Barak is McCain's favorite Israeli politician. In every conversation I have had in Washington regarding McCain and Israel, and in every instance when I asked people which Israeli is McCain's friend, Barak's name was mentioned first ? and in many cases last. The two have met many times in the past, both when Barak was in office, and during his years as a businessman. They share a military background, and their outlook on world affairs ? hawkish but realistic - is in many ways similar too. The downside with this couple: Barak does not appear at present to be capable of winning the Israeli election. C. All in all, Netanyahu is the Israeli leader less likely to get along with an American counterpart; Obama is the American less likely to get along with the Israeli. This is quite reasonable, given this panel perceives Obama to be the least favorable candidate from an Israeli standpoint, and that previous Likud governments (Netanyahu, but also his predecessors, Shamir and Begin), did not always get along with U.S. administrations). The fact the combination of Obama-Netanyahu ranked last was almost obvious, considering Obama's anti-Likud comments not so long ago. D. Livni is the only woman is the Israeli field, so I think it's no wonder the panel assumes she will do well with the American woman, and not as well with the man from an older (and more chauvinistic?) generation. E. I asked some of the panelists to explain the score they gave to the different couples. Here is some of what I heard: * Clinton KNOWS Netanyahu, and will NOT get along with him no matter what. She knows Barak and thinks she can handle him, although he is NOT her cup of tea * Obama is a mystery, so the marks he got reflect more a fear of unpredictability * Olmert has the potential to be the White House's preferred PM, but in 2009 he will be too weak to help any president make any progress, whatever the issue * McCain does not have the patience for Livni * Barak gets the best marks by default, not for his personal qualities Bookmark to del.icio.us   A top priority Barack Obama: We will keep Israel's security a priority. Tale of a key Cartoon film on Nakba describes Jews as 'enemies of homeland'.   1.   leftist media 19:33  |  fofo 01/04/08   2.   Can`t the right come up with someone other than pp? 20:38  |  Merle 01/04/08   3.   obama netanyahu 22:35  |  losman 01/04/08   4.   McCain - once the very bottom ranked Republican candidate 00:08  |  Pablo B 02/04/08   5.   Rosner manipulations 00:12  |  Jeff Halper 02/04/08   6.   not in the Israeli skill set 00:30  |  avramele 02/04/08   7.   Take Livni out of the equation 01:01  |  Mark C 02/04/08   8.   BULLSHIT 04:06  |  df 02/04/08   9.   combos 04:50  |  Shmuelshachor 02/04/08   10.   Is there no limit? 05:43  |  Mark Lincoln 02/04/08   11.   even his silly neocon panel rejects Rosner fear-mongering! 07:32  |  Proudest Zionist 02/04/08   12.   I don`t think there can be much doubt about it..... 07:45  |  Johnboy 02/04/08   13.   Obama Netanyahu 09:34  |  Joe 02/04/08   14.   and fries, a big coke and an F-16 09:35  |  daca 02/04/08   15.   Score for Clinton/Bibi = Score for Obama/Bibi 09:50  |  Proudest Zionist 02/04/08   16.   Ridiculous Rosner speculation 09:56  |  Clickfool 02/04/08   17.   Which combo works best 10:06  |  Roger 02/04/08   18.   ridiculous prognosis 11:30  |  david 02/04/08   19.   no more Kadima and Labor land for more violence deals 13:21  |  Avi 02/04/08   20.   Real "dream-team" Obama - Sarid / Ayalon...... 13:29  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/04/08   21.   Let Pollard go! 15:24  |  Andreas 02/04/08   22.   Obama-Netanyahu-best for the US 16:38  |  Michael N 02/04/08   23.   Israel Factor = Ridiculous 16:42  |  Joe 02/04/08   24.   My dream team: Azmi Bishara and Ralph Nader 17:38  |  Yaakov Sullivan 02/04/08   25.   Enough with neocon lies 17:41  |  david 02/04/08   26.   What difference does it make? 19:02  |  MichaelF 02/04/08   27.   If McCain wins here.. 19:21  |  Wiktor 02/04/08   28.   Barak the Osloist as favorite!! - this MUST be a JOKE 19:27  |  Jack Levine 02/04/08   29.   An opinion 22:53  |  Paul 02/04/08   30.   My vote: Barbie and Pluto... 00:32  |  Esther 03/04/08   31.   How Haaretz lies and promotes an anti Israel view. 08:45  |  Ken Jurist 03/04/08   32.   White area 09:34  |  Petri 03/04/08   33.   Rightist media 19:42  |  noes 03/04/08   34.   oBama and Racism 21:52  |  Avram 05/04/08   35.   Barak and McCain 22:33  |  JewishHeart 05/04/08   36.   Barak Barach 22:34  |  JewishHeart 05/04/08   37.   #27 Wiktor 04:58  |  Sadly Wiser 16/04/08   38.   Presidental Candidates 13:26  |  J.G. Shriner 01/05/08   39.   Barak & Barak 16:58  |  Me 12/05/08

Read & React Israel on alert as clashes rage across Lebanon for sixth day Responses: 111 Lieberman: I'd join Netanyahu gov't if I received defense post Responses: 45 Akiva Eldar: If Bush was really Israel's friend, he'd stay home Responses: 41 Olmert probe focuses on his time as trade minister Responses: 30 Haaretz TV: Religious homosexuals contend with self-hatred and Haredi condemnation Responses: 26 Rosner's Domain What Does It Mean To Be "Pro-Israel"? Malley will not advise Obama (WTR) Poll: What happend in Lebanon? Obama and the Jews: is 61% enough? Who's pushing the US to war with Iran? (WTR) More Headlines 16:37 Olmert to Egypt: Shalit must be part of Gaza truce 10:42 Olmert probe focuses on his time as trade minister 14:41 Israel on alert as sectarian clashes rage across Lebanon for sixth day 16:57 Two Israelis missing after 7.8-magnitude quake shakes China 17:04 Holy See asks Israel to help protect Christians in Mideast 14:59 Olmert: Israel has solved the African refugee shelter problem 14:22 Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jews from Holocaust, dies at 98 16:14 13 heads of state, 3,500 guests - and one Shimon Peres 13:05 Shas: We'll bolt Olmert coalition if draft deal reached with PA 13:41 Chavez calls Merkel political descendent of Hitler, fascism 14:42 ANALYSIS / Who will stop Hezbollah? Not the Lebanon Army 10:53 J'lem writers conference offers breather from political turmoil 09:46 Qassam hits Ashkelon school zone just before children arrive Previous Editions Select Day 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may 01 may 30 apr 29 apr 28 apr

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