(AP)

Another call for Israeli elections…

From Haaretz:

...Olmert promised to teach Hezbollah a lesson. But what has the enemy learned? That Israel doesn't have what it takes to win; that its ground forces, mostly reservists marched in after a month of aerial bombing, were poorly equipped, with substandard weapons and worst of all, inadequate training.

"When they sent us into Lebanon a few days before the cease-fire, we got the same kind of surprise as in the Yom Kippur War," a soldier stationed in Lebanon told me. "We were like sitting ducks. There was a sense of panic. We were surprised and helpless as the best tanks we own were ripped apart by the advanced technologies Hezbollah was using. All we cared about was scrounging for food and staying alive until the cease-fire.

"I'm starting to think that the chief of staff cooked up the stock scandal himself," the soldier went on. "Better to be sacked for a financial indiscretion than for bungling a war."

The outcome of the war up until now has exposed our weak points. Apart from President Bush, who says we won, our overuse of air power and the huge amount of damage we inflicted on Lebanon and Lebanese infrastructure has prompted the world to change its mind about the justification of our actions. Hezbollah survived with most of its arsenal intact, and can always count on its patrons to replenish it. That, together with the fact that it stands a good chance of becoming part of the Lebanese establishment and winning the elections, has prompted Assad Jr. to rattle his saber.

[snip]

With a million refugees wandering around the country, millions of dollars in economic damage and the trauma of thousands of missiles hitting our homes and cities, there is no question that the public is going to rethink its trust in a government that indulges in such hasty decision-making. With so many questions in the air, with a commission of inquiry, defiant citizens and a political tsunami on the way, it's time to get set for early elections.

Complete column here.