Olmert Looking at Exit Strategies

[Analysis] Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is said to be looking at exit strategies as it becomes increasingly apparent that he will not survive his fifth, and most damning, criminal investigation since coming to office two years ago. Public and media access to the testimony of the state’s key witness, an American businessman allowed by the court to testify before an indictment has been handed down, has opened the floodgates to public outrage at the description of Olmert’s reliance on cash-filled envelopes and money from acquaintances to feed his opulent lifestyle. Polling shows that 70% of the public doesn’t believe Olmert’s side of the story. Media reports now indicate that Olmert is reviewing his options for leaving office with some semblance of dignity. One scenario has him agreeing to move up the date of the next elections, thereby avoiding the spectacle of a mid-term resignation. While Olmert studies his personal plight, it’s open season for the wanabees who are lining up for a shot at the prime minister’s chair while political parties consider potential partnerships and power-sharing arrangements.