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Sleepy Olmert in hot water as aides hint at resignation

Withering criticism of his running of last year's war in Lebanon and demands for his resignation were wearing down Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who dozed off in public while trying to maintain a facade of determination to correct what went wrong.

Aides said privately late on Tuesday that Olmert realized a public outcry could force him to step down.

Olmert was convening his Cabinet in special session yesterday to appoint a committee to look into the findings of the Winograd Commission. Its report used scathing language to describe Olmert's hasty decision to launch the war against Hezbollah last summer without considering options, weighing the pitfalls or consulting experts.

the war

The war resulted in widespread destruction in Lebanon, almost 4,000 Hezbollah rockets raining down on Israel and more than 1,000 people dead, most of them in Lebanon.

It was unlikely that appointment of a new Cabinet committee would overshadow the rising tide of demands that he quit, which began not long after the costly but inconclusive war.

Olmert, 61, showed signs of strain on Tuesday, struggling to stay awake at a ceremony installing a new police commissioner. TV cameras caught his eyes fluttering closed several times, and local stations ran the scene again and again. Confidants spoke of a gloomy atmosphere in his office.

Aides explained he had stayed up all night reading the 263-page commission report.

aides

Olmert aides, speaking after a long day of talks and calculations on Tuesday, said the prime minister knew he might be nearing the end of his reign because of the extent of the public protest. The aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because their consultations were private, said Olmert felt if he does resign, Israel would be thrown into an election campaign, because no one else could set up an alternative government.
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