I'm interrupting MR's annual July break early, because it seems like there're going to be some people writing about this. Apparently, the guy who made the tough but wrongheaded decision to trade living murderers for the dead soldiers - the same dead soldiers that he couldn't recover when he and his Labor Defense Minister bungled Lebanon II - is done for the near future:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced on Wednesday evening he would not seek reelection in the upcoming Kadima primaries. Prior to his announcement on Wednesday, Olmert became enraged in the Knesset and said, "This is terrible, you can't run a country this way." According to coalition members, the prime minister was angry at the recent losses suffered by the government and coalition in recent bill proposals, the costs of which are estimated at billions of shekels. Olmert's associates claimed that "the Labor Party got on his nerves," and senior Kadima Party officials slammed the Labor's behavior. "Their behavior is lawless. You can't act this way. The Labor is every coalition's nightmare," one official said. Their grievances were based partly on the party's bill proposals, such as the recent bill calling for the extenuation of maternity leave, which may cost the State millions.

What a stunning concession from a guy who had no chance of winning the primaries in the first place.

In fairness to Olmert, the Labor party is kind of a nightmare when it comes to running a country (let alone when trying to run a war). But that's why you need a strong Prime Minister as opposed to an obtuse technocrat - Sharon never took this kind of nonsense from his coalition partners. This was a nice touch on Olmert's part though:

The prime minister has chosen to address the nation while his chief political opponents are away. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are currently visiting the US.

You know what's really awesome? An Israeli political crisis just as the window on stopping Iranian nuclearization is closing.

UPDATE: Contrary to the sensationalist Drudge siren, Olmert is not really "stepping aside." All this does is make formal what everybody already knew - that he will step aside as PM after he is replaced as the head of Kadima in the September primaries. So if Livni wins, for instance, he'll give her a chance to try to form a coalition. And when that fails, Israel will go into a general election some time in October. It's not like someone new is taking over tomorrow. Or even next month.

References:
* Olmert announces will not run in primaries [YNet]
* Reminder: Stupid Political Ideologies Sometimes Have Consequences - Shallow Israeli Leftism Edition [MR]

Previously:
* Hamas Brags About Violating Truce, More Rockets Fall On Israeli Schools And Hospitals
* Olmert Totally Incoherent On Why He Won't Approve Gaza Operation
* Olmert's Disclosure Of Israel's Nuclear Capability: At Wost, Harmless