Segment #1: The break-in to Greenberg's offices in DC – page 27

Context:______________________________________

The segment follows a short foreword dealing with the formation of the 1999 'Campaign Team'. The author emphasizes Barak's clear-cut directive that the content of the campaign polls is to be restricted and confidential, even within the campaign team itself. Avrum Burg (who managed the political side of the campaign) is cited in that context:

"There are walls preventing access to vital information. When Moshe (Gaon) tells me: 'I can't disclose that information because Ehud doesn't allow me to, and when Tal (Zilbershtein) adopts the same policy – this is not a team campaign".

This 'poll paranoia', as Drucker puts it, reflected an ominous sign for Barak's career. Barak grew to trust only the small group of pollsters, surrendering his judgment to them. The author then proceeds to describing the 1999 campaign and its success in harnessing the media in Barak's favor. One of the issues was the media's inclination to report on the 'Greenberg offices burglary'. According to Drucker, this story was a spin-off (one of many that are dealt with in the book) induced by the campaign team.

Context:______________________________________

"The favorable media coverage is reflected in yet another story: "Confidential documents concerning Ehud Barak were stolen from his consultant's offices in the US; according to the paper's sources, only documents linked to Barak were stolen." (Haaretz, 13.01.99)

"The Israeli media unfolded the story dramatically, based, of course on Barak's people, on the break-in at the Greenberg offices. The reports were intertwined with in-depth debriefs issued by the campaign people, linking the break-in to the campaign in process, in Israel (four months prior to the elections). The fact that Greenberg was a senior advisor to one Bill Clinton, did not seem to bother the press or discredit the theory that the break-in was exclusively related to Barak. A few days later, Barak's people reported break-ins to their personal residents. These alleged house break-ins occurred a few months prior to these reports and had barely any connection to the campaign. The police detectives involved in the investigation called these complaints: "baseless and irrelevant".