Tel Aviv - The leadership contest for Israel's ruling Kadima party is a distorted mirror of the race to choose the candidate for the Democratic party in the US.

The main difference however is that in this case it is the male candidate, Shaul Mofaz, who is assailing his female opponent for her perceived lack of experience, and the female candidate, Tzipi Livni, who is promising to bring a new style of politics.

The other two candidates in the race, Meir Sheetrit and Avi Dichter, are not given much chance of winning.

At stake is not just the leadership of the ruling party, but the chance to become Israel's next prime minister, although this is not automatic.

Although Livni is leading in the polls, and is the more popular candidate among the public at large, she lacks the support of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the current Kadima leader, whose relationship with her has soured dramatically since she asked him to step down in wake of a report critical of the government's handling of the July-August 
2006 inconclusive war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.

Relations between the two were not improved when Olmert was implicated in a series of corruption allegations and Livni, without mentioning the premier's name, began speaking of the need for a cleaner, corruption-free politics in Israel.

Olmert was careful to remain publicly aloof from the campaign, but other politicians - not Kadima members - had no such scruples.

Ehud Barak, leader of the Israel Labour party, Kadima's current and possibly future main coalition partner, made his contribution to the race by patronizingly referring to Livni by her full name, "Tzipora," and questioning her decision-making ability.

"The foreign minister, with her background as it is, is not built to make decisions, not at three in the morning and not at three in the afternoon," Barak said, in a nod to one of the more celebrated commercials from the US Democratic Party primary compaign.

Livni said the comments were not worthy of a response, but Mofaz gave one anyway, defending his rival while being careful to repeat the charge by noting that the attacks on Livni's lack of expereince had become personal.

Mofaz himself campaigned by warning of the dire threats facing Israel and emphasizing that his experience - a long military career culminating in being appointed chief of staff of the Israel Defence Force, followed by a stint as defence minister - makes him the most suitable candidate to lead the party, and by extension the country.

If Mofaz's tactic of emphasizing current threats and warning of future dangers is similar to the tactic used - successfully - by right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the 
1996 race for the premiership, it is because Netanyahu's strategist then - American political consultant Arthur Finkelstein - is Mofaz's strategist now.

At the start of the contest, Livni held a solid lead in the polls, but as the contest wore on Mofaz managed to close the gap - significantly, according to one poll.

In Israel, however election polls are often wildly - and embarrassingly - inaccurate, as not a few over-confident politicians have found to their cost.

Mofaz insists the polls are meaningless, and that he is building up enough grass-roots support to take the contest.

"It will end in the first round," he told the Ha'aretz daily, "and I'll win."

Boosting Mofaz's campaign are several high-profile ex-military men - Israel's nearest equivalent to the "old school tie," while Livni has the support of most of the Kadima Knesset faction.

This however may have less to do with her views than with the fact that Kadima, reeling from the corruption scandals which plagued its present leader, Ehud Olmert, needs Livni's reputation as Ms Clean to rehabilitate its image.

Livni is also seen as the candidate whose leadership would most benefit Kadima in the next general election, and this too may sway the party faithful. (dpa)