The General Takes Charge

摘要

I'm pretty good when the battle begins," Ehud Barak told Bob Shrum, his newly hired American ad man, a few days into his campaign. The ex-general running for prime minister of Israel quickly proved it. Some pundits called Barak's stunning landslide victory over incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu last week a tribute to his aggressive U.S.-style election tactics. Others pointed to a backlash against Netanyahu's dark, Nixonian personality. But for many Israelis the triumph was mainly about Barak himself, the tough little Sabra with the chest full of medals and the 180 IQ whose campaign changed the face of Israeli politics.