Save Us From Brilliant People

Brilliant people with the best intentions can produce horrible results. Just look at Aharon Barak, the retired president of the Israel Supreme Court. When he attained that office he decided to overturn two legal principles which had always protected the courts of democratic nations. He decided that everything (!) is justiciable and everyone has standing to bring a suit about anything. By virtue of his brilliance he was able to carry along the majority of the Supreme Court justices, and thus destroyed (yes destroyed) the Israel Supreme Court. They now spend most of their time meddling in matters they should never touch: telling the government how to govern and the army how to conduct war. Thus they don’t have time to do their real work, civil and criminal appeals and equitable relief as a High Court of Justice. I have been saying this for many years, but now more and more people are realizing it.

            Since they have their own political agenda, which is far left of left, they have lost the confidence of the majority of the Israel public, who once trusted the courts more than any other arm of government. This is what a brilliant man with the best of intentions accomplished.

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            Recently a spate of retired generals and former heads of the security establishment have been taking to the podium and the media to tell us what is impossible to do.

            One example: It is impossible for Israel to attack the nuclear sites in Iran. But apparently they; think it is possible to live with a nuclear Iran. Even if they are right in theory, is this the message we should be giving Iran?

            Another example: It is impossible to rescue Gilad Schalit in a military operation. As soon as they say this, the Hamas price goes up.

            Oh for the Israel of yesteryear, when it was not impossible to rescue the hostages in Entebbe, and it was not impossible to destroy the nuclear reactor in Bagdad; when leaders had guts and soldiers had skills and daring.

            It is vital to realize that the current political wanabees are not great leaders just because in the past they were successful generals. Arik Sharon saved Israel in the Yom Kippur War, but that did not give him a license to destroy it as Prime Minister. Efraim Sneh spent most of his life in the IDF, but that doesn’t make him a genius regarding the political future.

            In fact, by definition, all generals are expert in past wars. None of them is an expert in a future war, neither how to prevent it nor how to fight it.