As for Defense Minister Ehud Barak, as a member of the Olmert government, his main personal failure has been his inability to convince the Pentagon to approve Israel's requests to purchase refueling jets and bunker buster bomb kits, and to permit Israeli jets to fly over Iraqi airspace.
With every gully an almost impenetrable trench, and every boulder a bomb-proof bunker, it is very easy to defend and almost impossible to advance through.