Mr. Olmert Without Tears
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
It is hard to feel very sorry for Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who resigned from his position two days ago. He is said to be a nice person, warm to his friends, and considerate to his staff. This may be true, just as it is true that he is a skillful politician. But he brought about his own downfall — and did it, not, as in a Greek tragedy, by blindly stumbling into it, but by courting it with open eyes.
The politician who makes a habit of lining his pockets illegally because he thinks he can get away with it does not inspire in us, as Aristotle says of the tragic hero, pity and terror. If he makes us feel anything stronger than derision, it is disgust.
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