Derek Nally's attack on the Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats candidate, Prof Mary McAleese, has ebbed and flowed since he first made it on Monday. Yesterday he seemed to tie himself in knots and was forced to unravel matters with a statement issued to newspapers at 12.56 a.m.
Monday: His attack began with a toughly worded statement questioning Prof McAleese's fitness for office and accusing her of working to a different moral code than other people in the Republic.
"Mary McAleese seems to work on a different set of moral assumptions" compared to "most Irish people", he charged.
At the heart of his attack was a Department of Foreign Affairs memo based on two conversations this year between Prof McAleese and an official of the Department. The memo said Prof McAleese was "very pleased" with Sinn Fein's vote in the May 1st British general election and that she would not be interested in any electoral pact that did not include Sinn Fein.
Mr Nally's statement said: "This memo, if it is accurate, shows that Mary McAleese works to a different moral agenda than most people in the Republic." He also said the memo gave him "prima-facie suspicion that she was not a proper person to be President of the Irish Republic".
Mr Nally repeated these views on RTE's Questions and Answers programme that night. Prof McAleese strongly denied the import of the memo and said she had never voted Sinn Fein and was a long-time supporter of the SDLP.
Tuesday: During a debate in TCD Mr Nally said: "I accept her word. If she categorically denies the claim, and unless we hear anything from the other person [the Departmental official], we must accept her version of events."
In a debate which involved Prof McAleese and which was attended by one of Mr Nally's advisers, Mr John Caden, formerly of RTE and Radio Ireland, Mr Nally went on to say he no longer stood over his statement of the day before.
Prof McAleese welcomed Mr Nally's changed position and said she now considered the matter closed.
However, the problem for Mr Nally was that the words he spoke in TCD were directly contradicted by Mr Caden in an article he had written for The Irish Times.
"Derek Nally does not accept the McAleese denial. . ." wrote Mr Caden. "What Derek Nally said on Questions and Answers still stands."
At about 10 p.m. The Irish Times contacted Mr Caden and, as a matter of courtesy, asked him if he wished to change his article in the light of Mr Nally's TCD comments. He said he did not.
Wednesday: However, at 12.56 a.m. a statement was faxed from Mr Nally's election headquarters in Kildare.
"I accept the analysis of John Caden's article published in today's Irish Times," it began. Mr Nally said only that he was "disposed" to accept Prof McAleese's denial but demanded that the Department release the documents and files at issue over the affair of the memo.
Yesterday Mr Nally's was sticking to this line - at the time of going to press.