|
|
By Gail Winston
December 4, 2006
Almost every military analyst is forecasting war in the Middle East - either in spring, summer or possibly earlier -- given the deteriorating situation in Lebanon. Add to that long-range Russian Katyushas paid for by Iran, being funneled in nightly convoys from Syria into Lebanon, and Katyushas smuggled into Gaza from the Egyptian-controlled Sinai with zero effort by the Egyptians to stop the smuggling. Condoleezza Rice has ordered Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to restrain the IDF response to incoming fire from Hamas or Hezbollah and he has obediently complied.
In Israel, two exceptional incompetents, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are pushing to retain their jobs, no matter what it costs Israel or how many of Israel's men, women or children their incompetence kills. We have seen both their actions and in-action during Hezbollah attacks, with more than 4,000 Katyusha Missiles from Lebanon. Olmert and Peretz acted like those silly ducks one shoots at in a carnival where when hit, they spin around and go the other way. Clearly, these two, along with rest of the Kadimites, must be replaced, together with Chief of the General Staff Dan Halutz, commander of the failed war. They have all long since crossed the line of being a clear-and-present danger.
Forget the fact that they are sufficiently selfish as they thrash about to retain their positions, even though they have repeatedly failed miserably in performance. The outstanding fact is that they have no experience, let alone competence to make decisions in time of war. Their decisions always start and end with "What does it mean to me politically?"
Their next decision is: "What will the Americans say?" All the while they know that their instructions will be to restrain the Army and take the attacks silently. Only when there are too many dead Israelis in both the civilian and the military will they reluctantly allow the army to respond, however hesitatingly and falteringly, as they did in Lebanon and now Gaza.
The fate of the nation presently rest upon two of the most incompetent leaders this nation has ever known. We need a clone of Arik Sharon from a time when he was in his mid-40s, not yet demented and still the quintessential warrior. There may be such mavericks in the military but, since the politicians have politicized the military and intelligence services, only Politically Correct officers rise in the ranks.
The Olmert regime is given to acts that could lead to no less than national suicide, dragging the nation down with the government's incompetence. Clearly, it is time to gather up these incompetents and put them on a tramp steamer to float about the Mediterranean as the storied Ship of Fools. Let them party to their hearts' content and have the carefree fun country Olmert says he seeks but never, ever let them dock again in Israel.
In the meantime, Olmert and Peretz are arguing constantly, ensuring that, even the most minimal preparations for the inevitable war are not accomplished.
One can't help but be reminded of the description in Josephus' "War of the Jews". The Jews of 70 C.E. were so consumed with fighting each other that they paid little attention to the surrounding Roman Army closing in. When the Romans breached the Jews' defenses, they easily cut the throats of the Jewish defenders who were too busy fighting each other.
Sound familiar?
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
