As the anger over the ineptitude of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government grows, Likud Party Chairman Binyamin (Bibi)  Netanyahu's star is on the rise.  He is everywhere. He's fighting the hasbara war in England and in the United States, supporting the government, and doing everything that he can do to help. Netanyahu's message makes more and more sense as the war drags on. After all, he was the one who warned, time and again, against the Hizbullah build-up in Lebanon, declaring it a threat that cannot be ignored. His theory that the Hizbullah and the Hamas are part of Iran and Syria's web of international terror was proven right with the discovery of  Iranian troops fighting side by side with the Hizbullah in Southern Lebanon.

The government's inexcusable treatment of the population of northern Israel is playing a large role in  Netanyahu's comeback. While government officials, led by the Finance Ministry, drag their feet on providing aid for the missile-plagued north, Netanyahu is being remembered as the one who cured the Israeli economy, sparked its revival, and left this government with an unprecedented surplus in the budget. Olmert's government, on the other hand, has managed to put together a loan-scheme for businesses in northern Israel that is enriching the banks and to aid the rich television networks because their income from advertising has fallen due to the war. On top of that, his government has decided that compensation for property damages caused by missiles will be paid according to criteria that are nowhere near the actual costs. Finally, in a real "smart" move, the government has made a point of not declaring a state of national emergency which would, by law, have created the economic measures needed to aid individuals and businesses. While the stock market in Tel Aviv is on the rise, every third Israeli is slowly, but surely, going bankrupt.

In the meantime, the public, not the government, is aiding the residents of northern Israel. Supermarkets are leading a campaign in which shoppers around the country purchase family food baskets at cost and have them delivered  to families in the north. Private citizens are donating air-conditioners for bomb shelters, providing meals for soldiers, hosting families from the north, and doing many other things to help their fellow citizens. Olmert and his government, on the other hand, are sitting, in their air-conditioned offices in Jerusalem and arguing if we should stop the Hizbullah rockets now or wait to see how things develop.

Olmert's hour has come and gone. He has not managed to rise to the occasion. Neither has his government. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has lost her voice, Defense Minister Amir Peretz's attempt to change from a labor leader to a general is pathetic, and Vice Premier Shimon Peres' ramblings are ludicrous. The rest of the cabinet members have become unrecognizable shadowy figures.

In the leadership shambles, one figure stands out: Bibi Netanyahu. His message is clear: Israel must win this war. This can be done with a massive show of force. Israel has lost valuable time, but it is not too late to do so. The government has to step in now and help the north with the surplus that he created in the budget.  The war has to be fought on two fronts - the north and the world media.

Israelis are patient people. In times of crisis they grit their teeth, show unity, and help each other until the crisis is over. But the events of the last month will be remembered. Netanyahu has won his chance to be  Israel's next prime minister.