Parachutes of Pyrite

A dear friend of the family asked me, "Why doesn't Olmert just take his money and retire to Florida to play golf?"

Well, why should he? From his perspective, the contempt of the people is a cheap price to pay for his acquired wealth and a prestigious position on the world stage. Once he's out, he won't be getting fat envelopes from vested interests and friendly slaps on the back from George Bush. Capitulating under a cloud would cost him the adulation of the European intelligentsia who love to hear him talk about the necessity of a Palestinian state. Also, I think he's holding out for the best golden parachute he can get. At some point, Kadima will probably negotiate a deal with him, letting him resign without prosecution and minimizing the damage he might otherwise do to the party. For the damage he's done to this country, I hope his golden parachute turns out to be pyrite (the geological name for "fool's gold").

It's almost entertaining to watch the next powerball wannabes, including the clueless Tziporah Livni and the bumbling Ehud Barak, carve into Olmert's not-quite-expired political carcass. They exhibited no such indignation when rank opportunism had them hitching their careers to Olmert's briefly shooting star right when he, following Ariel Sharon, raped the Likud and the entire Israeli democratic system. It still amazes me how this parliamentary system tolerated Sharon jettisoning the Likud, rather than the converse, and retaining the reins of executive office. Kadima was born out of the valueless excesses of the nearly-indicted and the power-hungry, and it feels good to see them losing political ground.

Unfortunately, the prospects for real improvement in Israeli politics are not very compelling. Nothing will improve significantly until Israel changes its system of government and elections. As long as the proportional system prevents a mainstream majority from forming, parties will continue to play for power at the expense of national security and integrity and politicians will evade individual accountability. As long as coalition leeches demand payment for holding a government together, a leader with true integrity and grit has little staying power. That reality is what makes Shelanu's mission so vital.

Yesterday, we took another step forward by completing most of the paperwork to establish our account with Bank of Jerusalem.