A Different Dawn

Last night I caught one of those Israeli "talk shows." In it the IDF Director of Operations, Tal Russo, faced a small panel of journalists, military experts, and he attempted to defend the conduct and competence of the army. It was a difficult task, and he didn't do very well.

The most vociferous of the journalists was Carmela Menashe, Military Correspondent of Israel Radio, who is a well-known leftist, but I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed her interrogation of Russo. She didn't give him an inch, and he was definitely out of his league.

It was clear from her words that there were many and major mistakes by the army during last summer's war. Russo was well-rehearsed, reciting:

"There were successes and failures."

Menashe didn't miss a beat:

"OK, so could you tell us about one of the successes?"

Russo quickly started on another track. This continued. Menashe asked tough questions, and Russo avoided them.

Menashe also scored points when demanding to know why the army ceased its traditional "Acharai!" "After me!" philosophy/method. Officers used to lead, not follow or track via technology. This, too, was ignored by Russo, who kept denying that there had been any changes.

Considering Russo's track record, and his incapability to adjust his thinking, it's clear that his promotions are a potent example of mixing "yes-men" with "Peter's Principle," that "in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."

I just wish that she'd use her obvious talents to defend our country, rather than just attack the incompetent army operations.

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