—On Israeli PM Ehud Olmert—
Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert and Winograd Commission.KRAUTHAMMER: He's dead man walking. He's finished. He may hang on for a few days or even a few weeks , and that's only because, ironically, his coalition is so unpopular that other members of parliament know that if his government collapses with him, they're going to lose the next election, they're going to be out of jobs, they're not going to have a cause or any benefits . . .
Olmert was already at a level of approval so low that it bumped against the margin of error, it was conceivable that there wasn't a single Israeli who supported him, before this report [on the war in Lebanon].
After this report, he's finished. This is the most scathing report in the history of Israel . . . It's says that in the second report, it will talk about personal recommendations, meaning his resignation.
He's done. The only question is, will Livni come in here as his successor, hold the coalition together, or will the government collapse, new elections, and Netanyahu will become the prime minister?
KONDRACKE: What is going to happen is that there are going to be demonstrations tomorrow, and how fast Olmert goes may be partly determined by how big those demonstrations are. If it's 50,000, maybe he can survive a few weeks, if it's 250,000, he maybe — the whole thing may collapse. . . .
KRAUTHAMMER: We're going to have instability for months as the coalition attempts to hold itself together, knowing it's going to be wiped out, if there are elections. You're going to have the weakest and most unpopular government in Israeli history over the next months, at a time when America is trying to arrange negotiations with the Palestinians, which means that those negations are doomed.
HUME: So, this is an appetizing prospect of Middle East diplomacy Isn't it?
KRAUTHAMMER: It's unappetizing and it reflects a parliamentary system, which is dysfunctional. That government ought to resign today, and have new elections, because in the polls, two thirds of Israelis say that Olmert should resign, today. [emphasis in original]
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