A few weeks before being elected Prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, then acting PM, gave an interview to Ha’aretz where he outlined his vision for Israel’s future under his premiership. In light of today’s exchange of child murderer Samir Kuntar for the bodies of two slain Israeli soldiers, two things stand out. Asked about whether a leader must “give a personal example to his nation,” he said “most definitely.”

Asked about what the future held for Israel, he added,

It will be a country with less external violence and more personal security. A country that is dealing more effectively with the social ills . . . It will be a country that is fun to live in.

How fun will it be tonight in Israel? and what example has Mr. Olmert set for his nation?