Dáil Sketch/Marie O'Halloran:It was David versus Goliath, but without the happy ending. Or maybe it was Daniel in the Lions' Den, but the animals were not for taming.
From the outset the omens were not good. Labour leader Pat Rabbitte was grinning broadly when he saw that the hero of the hour was David/Daniel in the guise of Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan.
Séamus was in the hot seat for the Order of Business and acknowledging the fearsome task before him, he raised his arms in a smiling shrug. But he knocked over a glass of water. And that was before business even got under way.
The rest of the Opposition Goliaths/Lions were wailing like banshees when they realised their preferred and expected target, Tánaiste Michael McDowell or "Mícheál Bocht" as Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny called him, was absent.
He normally stands in on Thursdays when Bertie is not around and he had already greatly upset the Opposition by his very noticeable absence for Wednesday's debate on the Moriarty report.
He had denied them the opportunity to rage over his apparent difference with the Taoiseach on the cost and longevity of the Mahon tribunal.
But was it a loss or an opportunity? It was certainly a contemptuous snub, thundered Enda, adding nicely that he meant "no disrespect" to Séamus.
But our hero had his supporters - Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Transport Dermot Ahern and Martin Cullen sat beside him.
This prompted Fine Gael's Bernard Durkan: "The three amigos are sitting in place of the two boys who should be here."
Our hero stuck to the script of what the day's business in the Dáil would be. However, Enda demanded a full Government statement on the Mahon tribunal.
"We are now in a state of classic Fianna Fáil confusion where the Tánaiste is out like a lapdog doing the Taoiseach's dirty work." Pat Rabbitte was unhappy that the hero of the hour was merely "eighth in Cabinet ranking. If I were taoiseach he would be higher than that," he added nicely.
"Is that the rotating taoiseach?" quipped Minister of State Conor Lenihan.
And still they mourned/raged at the absence of the Tánaiste.
"You're stuck with me for the moment" said our hero, self-effacingly.
Sticking admirably to the script he explained that the Government never had and never would interfere with the workings of the tribunal.
Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were agreed that the issue of legal fees needed to be addressed. Everyone was agreed on that. The issue of fees was being addressed and the Government made no apology for drawing attention to it.
When Pat Rabbitte asked what the reason was for drawing attention to it, Séamus replied with a smile: "transparency".
And added mischievously: "I want to know if you are happy," poking some fun at the Labour party's advertising slogan "But, are you happy?".
And with a kind of a leap our hero was sort of free. Maybe Daniel/David did win after all.