It has started suddenly in the El-Al plane that was taking us back home. The familiar sight of the smiling ste flight attendant at the plane's door not pointing to the stack of two days old Israeli newspapers (oh well, the plane is not that fast after all) didn't cause any memory problems. The mention of vegetarian lasagna during the short discussion of lunch options caused a slight tremor in my limbs, but this definitely wasn't it yet. The taste of the airline wine (mmm...) was in total harmony with the taste of the mystery meat in the plastic tray, so the wine couldn't have been the problem.
So it must be the newspapers I have opened. Showing that man whose name has totally slipped my mind. You know the one I mean:
The man who promised all of us that a peace treaty with Syria could be achieved without parting with a single square meter of Golan Heights. Yeah, we still have the Golan Heights, and where is that peace?
The man who signed that Hebron deal that became and still remains a total disaster both for the settlers and for their neighbors.
The man who assured the whole world that Israel will get a totally free market economy managed in the ways of the Wall Street. Forced all pension funds to deal in speculative stocks, and it is now, when our pension savings are going down the drain, that he calls for a bi-partisan effort to save them.
The man who, while serving as our finance minister, cut the budget required for the deployment of active protection systems of our armored troops, which act of fiscal prudence killed quite a few soldiers during the second Lebanon war.
The man who presided over the Khaled Mashaal's assassination fiasco that is (probably quite rightly) considered to be a biggest flop in Mossad's history. Made to eat a humongous crow by the late king Hussein and released the late Sheikh Yassin, who so successfully motivated Hamas suicide bombers for several years after his release.
The man who promised to put an end to the Intifada and totally failed in this endeavor.
The man who keeps embroidering his biography by so many mythical details. Quite awkwardly too.
The man whose lust for power is matched only by his lack of self control. Like in the case when he hastily expressed his condolences to Sharon's family after Sharon's first stroke.
The man whose lack of stamina and his tendency to break under pressure was noticed by so many. Politics aside, the ridiculous case of the "hot cassette" that caused him to make a public confession of sins in the best "mea culpa" style of some religious preachers you know where. There was no cassette, as it appeared afterwards.
And more and more... So this is the man that the media is anointing as our next Prime Minister? Or am I going mad? Because someone is going mad here...
No, it must be just my memory that is switching off. There couldn't be any other explanation. OK, let's try the visual part - does he look like this?
Nah... It couldn't possibly be him...
1 hour ago