Ariel Sharon
PER
Sharon Sharon. Ariel Sharon
On Ariel Sharon's 78th birthday a few weeks ago, those closest to him joined his two sons around the bedside where he lies, silent and comatose, in a hospital on a hill high above Jerusalem. Nearly three months after Mr. Sharon's major stroke on Jan. 4, his spirit hangs over this Israeli election, as the country prepares to give its verdict on Tuesday on Kadima, the centrist party he created. Mr. Sharon's huge photo is wrapped around the suburban headquarters of Kadima, whose name means "forward," and the party's e-mail messages still come from kadimasharon.co.il.