Just Leave Already

Gracefully or otherwise.

Recognizing that his political downfall is all but unavoidable, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is considering accepting a proposal by senior Kadima ministers and MKs that is intended to allow the party to prepare for early elections while he leaves the Prime Minister's Office in a dignified manner, sources close to Olmert said Thursday.

According to the proposal, the prime minister would give the authorization necessary to initiate a Kadima primary that would elect his successor.

If Olmert is not charged in the Talansky affair, he would continue to serve as party leader and prime minister until the next general election, and the primary winner would become his heir apparent. If he is indicted and keeps his promise to step down, the winner could either form a new government or lead the party in elections that appear increasingly likely to take place by the end of the year.

Frankly, I don't care how Prime Minister Olmert wants to step down. He could quite easily be taken away in handcuffs, and that would be quite the show.

Olmert doesn't rate a dignified exit. His failures in the Hizbullah war and ongoing rocket war are more than justification for his resignation, but it has taken the corruption probe to finally bring things to this point.

Other reports indicate that Olmert has agreed to a primary election in which he would not participate, effectively ending his term in office.

Of course, his potential successors are busy lining up in their own calls for Olmert's resignation. That includes Tzipi Livni, the current foreign minister, and Ehud Barak, the current defense minister.