August 22, 2006
POLITICAL POWER LIES TO HIS LEFT:
Likud MKs angry at Bibi's silence (Gil Hoffman, Aug. 21, 2006, THE JERUSALEM POST)
Likud MKs criticized party chairman Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday for remaining silent on the issue of whether a state commission of inquiry would be formed to investigate the mistakes of the war in Lebanon.The MKs said that the most obvious candidate to call for a commission to investigate Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz would be the opposition leader, who ran against them for the premiership. They said that Netanyahu had been "strangely silent" on the issue for what they said were personal political reasons.
He can't win if he makes people think he'd pursue war more forcefully. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 22, 2006 12:05 AM
On the contrary, that's exactly how he will win.
Posted by: jd watson at August 22, 2006 4:54 AMI would have thought this entire episode was to the benefit of Netanyahu. I presume he feels that his silence, will allow him to become a "healer" of political rifts. I think people will assume his military agressiveness regardless of what he says at this stage.
Posted by: h-man at August 22, 2006 5:59 AMEvery Israeli leader must pursue military aggression until peace reigns.
There's nothing the world would like better than to sit back and watch a drag-out, hair-pulling fight among political factions in Israel.
An investigation should be avoided at all costs.
Posted by: erp at August 22, 2006 7:37 AMSharon's insight was that they needn't.
Posted by: oj at August 22, 2006 7:49 AMIt's terrible for Bibi, who stands for engagement with the Arabs. Sharon's success came because even most of the Right wants to disengage. The Lebanon dust-up showed why it's the best policy.
Posted by: oj at August 22, 2006 8:35 AMThe Lebananon dust-up showed that Israel, like the US with Vietnam, wants to go all out for the win or don't bother. The US, until 9-11, had the luxury of sitting back and choosing the wars it wanted to enter. Israel, despite OJ's notion that all will be fine once democracy takes hold in the Arab countries, doesn't have that luxury.
Posted by: AWW at August 22, 2006 9:41 AMAWW:
No, you miss the point entirely. Demographics doom Israel in the long term. This is all just buying time.
Posted by: oj at August 22, 2006 9:52 AM"Demographics doom Israel"
Somebody is doomed in the long term and it ain't Israel. Your making the Taranto strategy seem more attractive.
Posted by: h-man at August 22, 2006 10:06 AM
Sharon begged to differ, as does reality:
www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-12/2005-12-17-voa34.cfm
Posted by: oj at August 22, 2006 10:14 AMWhat happened to the planned invasion of Syria?
Posted by: Joseph Hertzlinger at August 22, 2006 11:10 AMOJ - I didn't miss the point. I just don't accept that Israel should roll up into a ball and stop defending itself because 90% of the world thinks that is what they should do.
Posted by: AWW at August 22, 2006 11:26 PMThat is missing the point. Israel isn't defending itself if it isn't growing its population.
Posted by: oj at August 22, 2006 11:32 PM