Would Olmert Channel LBJ?

Kenneth Baer, a former White House speechwriter and advisor to the Lieberman and Kerry/Edwards campaigns, makes the comparison between Olmert and LBJ:

Now, we have to see if Olmert will become an Andrew Johnson or Lyndon Johnson figure. If Olmert ends up emulating the man who stepped into Lincoln's shoes -- a hapless leader unable to bring the country together or bend policymaking to his agenda -- then Israel, the region, and US interests there are in trouble. However, if Olmert ends up as an LBJ, he will use the Sharon legacy as an effective political tool to bring the country together, break political logjams, and undertake policy advances that seemed unlikely or impossible just months before.

Olmert as taking over as Prime Minister, channeling LBJ?

I'm not clear on what kind of political logjams and policy advances Baer thinks "seemed unlikely or impossible just months before" under Sharon--and Olmert can overcome-- but invoking the image of LBJ is interesting, considering the comparison to Viet Nam:

By 1968, things had gone from bad to worse for the Johnson administration. In late January, the DRV and the NLF launched coordinated attacks against the major southern cities. These attacks, known in the west as the Tet Offensive, were designed to "break the aggressive will" of the Johnson administration and force Washington to the bargaining table. The Communist Party believed that the American people were growing war-weary and that Hanoi could humiliate Johnson and force a peace upon him.

Viet Nam is often compared with the war in Iraq, but the tactics are similar to what we see going on in Israel as well. By the same token, we are talking about different situations, both in Iraq and in Israel--so neither in Iraq nor in Israel is the war going as the terrorists predicted.

Most of Hanoi's predications about the Tet Offensive proved elusive. Communist forces suffered tremendous casualties in the South and the massacre of thousands of non-Communists in Hue during the Tet Offensive created ill-will among many of Hanoi's supporters. Furthermore, several leading southern Generals thought the plans for the Tet Offensive were too risky and this created a strain in relations between northern and southern Communists.

And as long as we are talking about Olmert as LBJ, just how did LBJ do when it came to war, the main issue that would be facing Olmert, should he become Prime Minister:

In any event, in late March 1968, a disgraced Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not seek the Democratic Party's re-nomination for president and hinted that he would go to the bargaining table with the Communists to end the war.

Though Lyndon Johnson may have achieved great things with his Great Society, on the issue that is of the greatest current import, why go the way of LBJ? No matter how good he was at gaining concensus--which would be a novel approach in Israel where blatant and over-the-top manipulation is the general style--wouldn't we want someone who is not so ready to bargain with terrorists who have no intention of keeping their promises anyway?

Along those lines Jewish Blogmeister has a hint of what we might expect from Olmert:

"He is a shrewd lawyer, a very practical man," said Olmert's longtime friend, Moshe Amirav. "If they (the Palestinians) can deliver stability, he will be ready to give up land, and surprise the world with his moderation.

Oh.

Crossposted at Israpundit

Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert.