"Three Cheers for Olmert!"

No, not my idea--you can pin this one on Noah Pollak:

A round of applause, please, for Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, who, a couple of days ago, very deftly rubbed Bashar Assad’s face in the humiliation of Israel’s recent air strike. Olmert displayed an uncharacteristic sense of insouciance and panache in announcing to a group of journalists (Russian ones, no less) that “we are willing to make peace with Syria unconditionally and without demands. I have a lot of respect for the Syrian leader and the Syrian policy.” Magnificent! Assad, of course, is as far away from being able to hold peace talks with Israel as he has ever been—he and his feckless military, and Syria’s much-touted mutual defense pact with Iran, are the laughingstock of the region. And now Olmert is publicly offering him “unconditional” peace talks! Absolutely perfect! Three cheers for Olmert and whoever convinced him of the idea.

With all due respect, I don't think of Olmert as the clever silver-tongued type--based on a number of his past statements that seem to reveal a different image of Ehud Olmert:

The Can-do guy who said that if:

"the terrorist organizations impose a violent confrontation, both Israelis and the Palestinians will have to bear the consequences."

The Visionary who declared in the beginning of last August that:

Israel's success in Lebanon will create "new momentum" for his plan to unilaterally withdraw from most of Judea and Samaria.

The Keen tactician who said:

I am still proud to say that I was among the initiators of the Disengagement

The Shrewd negotiator who promised:

There is an honest, real will on my part to give a lot and receive little in return.

The Clever bargainer who revealed:

He will be surprised when he sits with me at how far we are prepared to go. I can offer him a lot.

Rather than deftly rubbing Bashar Assad’s face in humiliation, I see Olmert as rubbing Israel's reputation in the dirt.

Technorati Tag: Israel and Ehud Olmert.