Decision ‘08

An Olmert Victory, Yes, But A Disappointing One

That’s the verdict of JPod over at NRO’s The Corner:

Exit polls say the new party founded by Ariel Sharon did the best, winning around 30 seats. But since last week it was projected to win 40 seats or more, the results have to be a huge disappointment for the party, Kadima, and its head, Ehud Olmert.

Kadima can talk solace, perhaps, in the fact that at least they aren’t Likud:

Likud was humiliated, winning somewhere between 11 and 14 seats. It is headed by Bibi Netanyahu, the Tasmanian Devil of Israeli politics. The horrid irony of this whole election is that if Bibi hadn’t decided to challenge Ariel Sharon — the most popular politician in Israel’s history — last fall for leadership of Likud and almost pull it off, Sharon wouldn’t have left Likud to form the new Kadima party. Had Bibi just been patient and less greedy, he would have been in place when Sharon was felled by his stroke. He would have gracefully taken up leadership of Likud due to Sharon’s incapacitation, and would have sailed into the prime minister’s seat for a second time. Instead, he has been squashed like a bug, brought down by his own hubris. It is highly unlikely Bibi will ever rise to power again.

I said last night the mood of the electorate in Israeli pointed to disengagement…but, it could fairly be said, not with much enthusiasm…Perhaps the relatively poor turnout reflects resignation to the fact that, with Hamas in power, the next few years are going to be quite frustrating and more than a little painful…