Amir Peretz to Ehud Barak: Who would want to vote for you?

[bemildred]

The former chairman of the Labor Party, Amir Peretz, said Monday to his successor, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, that "power is your obsession; you say we need to prepare for elections but who would want to vote for you?"

The former defense minister made these comments at a particularly volatile meeting of the Labor Party. Barak responded to these remarks saying "I am completely convinced that I couldn't be as pathetic as you and so I will not respond to your speech nor will I hand out grades. Every member will judge for themselves."

Barak, who reiterated his former announcement that the party is preparing for elections, told Peretz that "I take the task that I, and we, have been handed by our voters, to ensure that the Labor Party returns to govern the country, very seriously, and I am determined to do that with or without you." The Labor faction meeting was convened in order to formulate the guidelines that will dictate the party's behavior within the coalition.

Earlier Monday, Minister without Portfolio Ami Ayalon, who lost the chairmanship of the Labor party to Barak in the primaries in June, said "Ehud Barak may be the chairman of the party, but he is not the party itself." With his comment Ayalon referred to Barak's comments on Sunday who hinted that the party is closer to quitting the coalition than people may think.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/970368.html