It was fun as long as it lasted. I entertained with the thought that I could take a break from writing about politics. But hey, who was I trying to fool? This is Israel!

What's more, it's Mr. Alpha Male who is making the headlines now, Avigdor Lieberman himself. So is he, or is he not going to make it into the coalition? As Gideon Levy pointed out today, the question is irrelevant - Ivet's ideas have long infiltrated into the government's agenda.

The relevant question (I think) is what hides behind the all-too-familiar glass wall facade of an Israeli politician, or "who are you, Avigdor Lieberman"?

Well, here is a man who grew up in the ranks of Likud upon entering manhood, despite being an immigrant. A man who identified the bully to follow in the figure of Tzachi Hanegbi, back in the glorious days of chaining and caning Arab students on the Hebrew University campus. A man who had worked at the political mill patiently, until scoring himself the top administrative job in the country - Director General at the Prime Minister's Office.

That's in 1996, as his next patron Benjamin Netanyahu took to his aggressive (the say the least) managerial methods, and let Lieberman clear the way for him with a machete in the jungle of Israeli politics.

Let us quickly skip a few more years. A lucrative ministerial portfolio at the National Infrastructures Ministry, a dash away from Likud just in time, and a handsome result in the last elections. Yisrael Beitenu now boasts eleven seats at the Knesset, and a recent poll predicted as much as twenty if elections were held right now.

One can only commend Lieberman for his political and personal achievements. He is certainly a clever man who knows an opportunity when he sees one, and what's more, knows how to cash in on it.

But is he also wise?

Let us put aside for a minute his political views, his separatist agenda and militaristic approach to practically any problem. Let us instead examine a short utterance he made in a televised interview a few weeks ago (the channel now escapes me).

What Lieberman said more or less, was that running a country is simply like running a large company. They function according to the same principle, he said, and having had the executive experience, he is confident that he can run the country well.

Well... a wise would be too wary to let his successful career go to his head, and be so arrogant about his ability to master what is considered as one of the world's toughest jobs. For proof, 31 governments served the country in 58 years. Almost double the number that full four-year-terms would have yielded. Even Lieberman could not claim to top the list of Israeli premiers. Could he?

A country is not run solely on loss and profit calculations, on hedging techniques or on resorting to outsourcing to cut costs. Surely, these are important principles that should be implemented when appropriate, but they must be used wisely. Just as a leader needs to act sometimes on his gut feeling, and know when to act on that feeling. When to be humane, and when to be ruthless.

An executive can get away without all that. He or she are guaranteed their golden parachute even in the case of failure. But not when running a country. Not when running Israel.

I am not fooling myself. It is quite possible Lieberman will be Israel's next prime minister. But if he accedes to power, we must remind ourselves not to be duped by his shticks.

Lieberman is no leader.