World THE ROEPER SCHOOL WHERE GIFTED STUDENTS LOVE TO LEARN NEWS ANALYSIS PROVIDING WHAT EVEN GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS CAN'T Low student/teacher ratios Diversity — cultural, racial, socio-economic Accelerated courses with greater depth Community Service as part of the curriculum Multiple extracurricular activities Excellent college guidance & placement Rough Political Waters Ahead DON'T SETTLE FOR A GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOL. CHECK OUT WHAT A PRIVATE EDUCATION AT ROEPER CAN DO FOR YOUR CHILD. Livni's failure to build coalition could help or hurt in new elections. OPEN HOUSES LOWER SCHOOL TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2 AT 9AM 41190 WOODWARD AVENUE • BLOOMFIELD HILLS MIDDLE/UPPER SCHOOL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Leslie Susser AT 1PM Jewish Telegraphic Agency 1051 OAKLAND AVENUE • BIRMINGHAM Jerusalem 248.203.7317 • WWW.ROEPER.ORG W Ostudio36.com Stil Located inside the iN headquarters at 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield (Next to Fishbones) .LL INVENTORY OA; OFF* 'While supplies last. Valid thru 12/24/08 o.36.L.om• 866.583.2422 Clean + Sober 2 Words. 12 Steps. 30 Days. = A New Start sr pu n BRIGHTON HOSPITAL Chemical Dependency and Dual Diagnosis Residential Treatment Michigan's first and most experienced addiction treatment facility. For a confidential assessment call: 1-800-523-8198 Visit us on the web at www.brightonhospital.org 1408, 140 A30 October 30 • 2008 Ai ith Israel now headed for new general elections probably some time early next year, supporters and opponents of Tzipi Livni are putting a very different gloss on her failure to form a govern- ing coalition. Opponents say Livni's inability shows she is not yet seasoned enough to lead. Supporters counter that the reasons for her failure show precisely why she is the best candidate. Livni says that had she been willing to give in to excessive political and budgetary demands by prospective coalition partners, she easily could have formed a government. Instead she took a stand. The foreign minister, who won the Kadima primary in September to succeed party leader Ehud Olmert, portrays herself as a tough-minded patriot who sacrificed the premiership to stave off demands that would have hurt Israel's national interest. Her opponents suggest a less high-minded narrative: They say Livni bungled coalition negotiations because of a fundamental lack of experience. Livni's coalition effort was badly hurt by the adept political maneuver- ing of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the Likud Party. Netanyahu was able to convince three of Livni's prospective coalition partners — the Sephardic Orthodox Shas Party, United Torah Judaism and the Pensioners' Party — that he prob- ably would win in a general election campaign and would be more ame- nable to their political and budgetary demands than Livni. Netanyahu focused on Shas, the largest of the three with 12 Knesset seats. The former prime minister spoke of renewing the "historic alli- ance" between Likud and the right Kadima party leader Tzipi Livni faces a tough political fight. wing Shas, declaring that if he won the election Shas would be the first party he would ask to join his coalition. The Shas Effect Shas probably would have been a difficult nut for Livni to crack in any situation. Insiders say party leader Eli Yishai made a strategic decision several months ago to force early elections and pre-empt a looming leadership challenge from his charismatic prede- cessor, Arye Deri. Indeed, there were serious doubts as to whether he had negotiated with Livni in good faith. Yishai made two key demands: an allocation of 1 billion shekels — approximately $260 million — for child allowances, and a promise that Jerusalem would not be up for negotiation with the Palestinians. On Jerusalem, Yishai demanded that Livm actually sign a letter vowing to exclude the city from future peace talks. Even if she had been ready to meet the budgetary demands, the written commitment on Jerusalem was out of the question. "No American president would Rough on page A32