Go, Tzipi, go

Good for Tzipi Livni for realizing that silence, no matter how angry, is not an option, and throwing down the gauntlet. Ever since the Winograd Committee report, when Livni demanded Olmert's resignation and he replied "you go first," the trust between them has been badly ruptured.

Olmert is good at asking for favors and returning favors, but he will never forgive a scion of the Herut princedom who dared to criticize him. To this day, it is not clear why he left Dan Meridor out in the cold. Maybe for the same reason that he is so irked by Livni: Both are endowed with personal integrity. Olmert has not forgiven Livni for her criticism and has gradually shooed her out of the kitchen cabinet, where the affairs of state are run.

But from the moment the law enforcement authorities began investigating a string of allegations against Olmert, Livni's silence has not worked in her favor. The prospect of the prime minister being forced to take a leave of absence and Livni stepping in to take his place, in name or in practice, has become a serious threat for Olmert. Silence stopped being a good idea.

As Olmert has focused his efforts on blocking Livni, Kadima has begun organizing itself to find a successor. Meir Sheetrit, Avi Dichter and Shaul Mofaz joined the race as an end to Olmert's career appeared increasingly likely.

Livni, the first to challenge Olmert and demand that he step down over the failure of the war in Lebanon, did the right thing in not taking his advice "to go first." The attics are full of politicians who quit for reasons of conscience and have never been seen again. In a party oozing with corruption - Abraham Hirchson, Eli Aflalo, Ruhama Avraham Balila, Tzachi Hanegbi, Olmert - Livni has chalked up points for her integrity.

But Livni's stubborn silence began to outlive its usefulness. She harkened to Menachem Mazuz's urging that the political system not wait for an indictment, but wage war on corruption at its source. Finally, she opened her mouth, uttering a series of remarks in which she stated outright, or implied, that Olmert had lost his moral authority to run the state, and that corruption came with a price tag - in the form of his seat. She kept her mouth shut for a long time, but when she opened it, some powerful words came out.

Olmert went off his rocker. According to people "close to the top," he called her a liar, a backstabber and a person incapable of making decisions. "I fear for the future of the State of Israel if Livni comes to power," he added (according to those same unnamed sources). "She gets dragged into things. She has no self-confidence ... Believe me, she is not capable of leading initiatives."

As Olmert fusses and fumes over Livni, Shaul Mofaz, seemingly in cahoots with him, has also devoted himself to bringing Livni down. The fingerprints of Mofaz's American spin doctor, Arthur Finkelstein, were visible this week, as her "inexperience" was played up and efforts were made to tarnish her reputation as an employee of the Mossad.

Israel Television opened its Mabat news program this week with a story about her work for the Mossad (at the age of 22), claiming that she dropped out of a training course. What it forgot to mention was that she had gotten married a few weeks before the end of the course. This week, the Jerusalem Post published an "open letter" to Barack Obama signed by Shaul Mofaz. A nice way to get the public used to the idea of Mofaz as our next prime minister.

Livni is not letting Mofaz's aggressive tactics and Olmert's threats get to her. "The public has a desire for honest leadership and I can make that wish come true," she said, adding: "At the end of the day, people cast their vote for the candidate who puts the good of the country ahead of what is good for him personally and what is good for tomorrow's headlines."

So why now? "Because Kadima is holding primaries, and I presented my candidacy for chairmanship of the party. The way it works is that the person who leads the party is the also party's candidate for prime minister."

And why is she proposing a unity government? "Because the far right and the far left are passe. The days of Greater Israel are over (although I come from there), and so are those of a New Middle East. Since the gaps are not that wide, national unity will lead to a change in government that reflects the situation and will restore the public's faith in the political system and law enforcement. Maybe Benjamin Netanyahu would also be better off with a centrist government rather than a right-wing government with Mofaz, Shas and Likud." Livni is convinced that she can provide the kind of politically sane and corruption-free leadership that the public yearns for.

So what would you call this article? "Tzipi unfurls the banner?" "Tzipi is off and running," she replied, straight and to the point.

So go, Tzipi, go.