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Last update - 02:53 13/06/2008 Olmert, go home By Yoel Marcus Tags: Israel, Kadima, Ehud Olmert There is nothing more obnoxious than a journalist issuing a personal appeal to the prime minister to go home. Prime ministers, after all, are lawfully elected by the public. But it's the prime minister who has altered the relationship between himself and the Israeli electorate by portraying his public office as a "workplace." When people mess up at work, they get fired. So think how much more so that applies when you mess up as prime minister. When you get to the top of the pyramid, failure is measured by the loss of public trust. And you, Ehud Olmert, have totally lost that trust. It's true you speak well. You wear snazzy suits that sit well on your athletic physique. You know how to say the right things in the right places, and when it comes to smiles, backslapping and creating a sense that you are friends with everyone, you can't be beat. But almost as soon as you stepped into office, it was clear that what was right for Louis XIV - l'etat, c'est moi - was not right for you. From the moment you became prime minister, you made one mistake after another. You appointed Abraham Hirchson, a mega-thief according to the charge sheet, as Israel's finance minister, because if anyone knew how important it was to keep a grip on this portfolio, it was you. You appointed that clown by the name of Amir Peretz as defense minister, to keep him away from finance. You dragged the country into a war that destroyed Israel's power of deterrence and exposed the weakness of the home front on account of your reckless thinking. And as we continue to be bombarded by rockets day after day, and live in fear of a large-scale operation in Gaza, this is no longer the Israel we knew from the days of your predecessors. Advertisement You are responsible for the public's misgivings and lack of faith in the army's power of deterrence. You arrived at this latest crisis battered, bruised and bleeding. From the point where you are today, even a healthy person wouldn't stand a chance of recovery. Ehud, you have lived many years as a rich man. When people hear about the tens of thousands of dollars going in and out of your pocket, it drives them wild. When a husband and wife who earn a living from teaching bring home NIS 6,000 a month, your standard of living blows their mind. In the Israeli ethos, national leaders are expected to live modestly, to the point of poverty. Some have really been destitute, like Menachem Begin. Others, like David Ben-Gurion, took great pains to maintain a modest image, because they understood what was expected of them. The grudge the public bears against you has taken on a socioeconomic guise. When the public hostility begins to revolve around your personal conduct, there is no way to fix it. Even if you get through the current crisis, those "envelopes" have become part of the local lingo and fodder for comedians. Is there any political accomplishment on the horizon that could save you? Freeing Jonathan Pollard? Bringing home Gilad Shalit? Toppling Hamas? Peace with Syria? In a word, something real and big that would make the public say: What is this envelope business compared with such a historic achievement? People forgot about Moshe Dayan's stolen archaeological artifacts when they saw photos of him teary-eyed at the Western Wall. At the moment, there is no such feat in sight that would make the public forget about the envelopes. From a leadership standpoint, you are sitting in a wheelchair. Can you leap out of that chair onto the tennis court of politics? Arik Sharon had amazing potential when it came to leadership rehabilitation. You came after him with four or five police inquiries hanging in the air. It doesn't matter what move you make. Nothing will bring back the trust you have lost. Your hands are tied. No decision you make will be accepted by the public at face value or restore your innocence. If you decide to go into Gaza and leave behind a trail of dozens or hundreds of dead, they will say you embarked on the operation to save your own skin. If you don't go in, they will say you are weak. To reach decisions of this kind, you need the power of being trusted as a prime minister. Even the two things you did - knocking out the reactor and the Syria initiative - raised your survey ranking by a few measly percentage points. Most of the public wants you gone right this minute. No matter what you do, your credibility is six feet under. Until election time, Israel won't suffer. There's a woman in the wings to take over. You appointed her yourself. So really now, what are you fighting for? With such important decisions that need to be made, do you think the whole country should sit and wait until Talansky's cross-examination next month? And what do you expect is going to happen there? Talansky will burst into tears and say the whole thing is a conspiracy? Are you saying that will be the end of the investigation? What about Messer? What about Shula? What about the crates of documents the investigators are sorting through? This country's problems are too complicated to allow us the luxury of having you stay even one more day at the head of the government. Go home, for God's sake. Go home. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Snoop Dogg in Israel American rapper Snoop Dogg slated to perform in Ramat Gan. Late date Scientists revive 2,000-year-old date seed found at Masada.   1.   there is a pain barrier 07:43  |  saul a. readner 13/06/08   2.   I agree 15:21  |  Natan 13/06/08   3.   Olmert the shameless 17:52  |  Sunny 13/06/08   4.   How belatedly 21:18  |  Michael N 13/06/08   5.   Yes, Olmert Go Home, But Look Inward Israelis 22:08  |  Tod Zuckerman 13/06/08   6.   Excellent article from Yoel Marcus. 22:22  |  Dagma 13/06/08   7.   Not too sure about Yoel Marcus`s analysis when we have 05:30  |  Smadar 14/06/08   8.   I could not agree more 05:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 14/06/08   9.   If Yoel Marcus dislikes Olmert than maybe Olmert is ok? 06:53  |  Baruch Gold 14/06/08   10.   How belatedly - to Michael N, #4 09:11  |  Gad Giladi 14/06/08   11.   Olmert go home 09:48  |  David Azualy 14/06/08   12.   Olmert Go Home 01:31  |  Edward Stern 15/06/08   13.   Hopeless 10:48  |  jack davis 15/06/08

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