(Yossi verter-Haaretz)..... Rivlin believes the behavior of Kadima, and especially its leader, Livni, is intolerable. "The way Kadima is treating the prime minister is extremely offensive," he said this week. "To talk to the prime minister in crude language, 'Be a man, Bibi,' or 'Give it up, Bibi' - that is nearly the limit of what is permissible in a parliament. I'm not surprised that the prime minister has had enough."
It could have been a great week for the opposition: It could have crowed over Netanyahu and Steinitz caving in to the Histadrut labor federation in the budget deliberations; it could have made political capital from the value-added tax on fruits and vegetables; and it could have ridiculed Netanyahu for his about-face over two states. Instead, the opposition simply disappeared.