Leaving a Sinking Ship

Tzachi Hanegbi is leaving Kadima and returning to the Likud.  Considering that Tzachi was very instrumental in the establishment of the Kadima, I'd consider that a sign of Kadima's approaching demise.

Tzachi has always been in favor of large political parties, those with the ability to put together ruling coalitions.  He's not the Don Quixote his mother, Geula Cohen, has always been.  I'll never forget the Israeli Election campaign when Geula was still with Techiya and Tzachi was running with Likud.  In one of the Likud's campaign ads, Tzachi is featured speaking to the voters saying:

"People keep telling me that they love my mother and plan on voting for her in Techiya.  I also love my mother, but it's better to vote Likud."

When campaigning for Kadima, he told voters that the advantage was that it was like a "supermarket."  It had Knesset candidates of all opinions, so everyone would be represented.  Honestly, that was/is a disadvantage as far as I'm concerned.  I only want to give my vote to those who have the same policies I do.  It's among the reasons I won't vote Likud.  I'd rather vote for a small ideological party than a large one that only wants power.

Tzachi has differed with his mother not only in politics.  He has been convicted of  perjury, while her reputation, even among those who disagree with her politics has always been totally clean.  Geula's an idealist, a pure Jewish patriot, always was and always will be.  Tzachi is a politician, and I'm sure that Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu is overjoyed to have him back on his team. 

As I've mentioned quite a few times, I heard Netanyahu say that his aim was to convince the former Likud members in Kadima to "return home."  And I have no doubt that Tzachi has been on the top or near the top of that list.  I remember Tzachi as a young up and coming politician working hard for Likud.  There's a pragmatism about him and opportunist nature that his mother never had.  That's why people have always loved Geula more than they trusted Hanegbi.

I'm not so naive as to refuse to recognize that effective politicians aren't always angels.  In the Israeli system you can have both.  I vote for the strict idealist, because the politicians need reminders.