Twenty years in a hierarchal government organization teach one a thing or two about leaders and leadership. One thing one learns is that pure, blind ambition often overrides talent, ability, intelligence and leadership skills. One very often finds some real nothings in high places. Another thing one learns is that the safest way to get ahead is to do very little, but to forever market yourself as a doer (preferably taking credit for the successes of others).

This is not to say that talented, intelligent people with leadership skills do not get ahead. Their problem is that they are too busy getting things done to have time and energy for marketing themselves. The ability to do both is a rare quality. And usually the good guys feel that marketing themselves is unethical. They reckon that their work and ability will be enough to show their worth. This doesn’t necessarily work.

Today’s vote comes down to this - who do we prefer as prime minister: Tzipi Livni or Binyamin Netanyahu? Yes, a lot of people will be voting for the smaller lists based on particular interests. They have forfeited the big decision. But that still leaves us with the question - which of the two has what it takes? Which one is a doer? My immediate answer is, sadly, neither.

Bibi has already been prime minister. He had some successes and some disasters, but on the whole the impression was he didn’t operate well under pressure. Not good for an Israeli prime minister. On the other hand, he was a good finance minister a few years ago. He made a lot of extremely difficult, unpopular decisions, alienating his natural supporters. This ultimately saved Israel’s economy and created a situation whereby we are not as hard hit yet as other places by the global recession.

Tzipi has held a few ministerial positions. She was justice minister for 17 months. I have heard from people in the know that during this time she apparently did nothing. She made no decisions, claiming she was only there temporarily as a replacement. Then she was foreign minister during the Second Lebanon War. From what I saw she did little to promote Israel abroad at a time when this was crucial. Bibi did far more than her to try to explain what was happening, even though he was head of the opposition, and his voters couldn’t see, because it was in the foreign press.

So I look at these two. Bibi is an aggravating self promoter. You watch him speak you want to punch the screen. Livni comes over as impressive and determined.

Appearances aside, Livni seems to have taken the do-little-take-few-risks route all her career. Can we trust her at the helm? Do we need her taking her first steps learning to be a doer at our expense? Can we take the risk?

What about Bibi? Has he learnt? Has he changed? Has he grown as a leader? Will he be able to take the pressure this time around?

And, maybe the most important question of all, will either of them be able to make the right decision, at the right time, about Iran and the bomb?

How can we possibly know what’s right?

And why oh why do we have to choose between mediocre and mediocre? But seeing as we do - as I see it, there is one thing that Bibi has that Tzipi doesn’t. The one thing that can make the difference between an okay prime minister and a disastrous one. The one thing that made such a difference between the late Yitzhak Rabin’s first term as prime minister in the 1970’s and his second term in the 1990’s. E X P E R I E N C E.

You know what the funny thing is? After everything that has happened, a lot of people are saying that if Olmert was running for office again they would be voting for him. I probably would myself. He started bad, but eventually got round to being, all things considered, a more than okay leader.