What an extraordinary end, if it is the end, to the most extraordinary sequence of political events in recent times. Bertie Ahern, the most popular Taoiseach since the Lynch era, is compromised in a way that it will be difficult for him to recover from. Michael McDowell, the new Progressive Democrats leader, is even more damaged because of his party's handling of the issues, even though they were not of their making.
It is difficult to see how he or his party can claim the mantle of the watchdog next time, as Mr McDowell did so successfully climbing up poles with posters in Ranelagh in the last general election. The bark that once...
And yet, it is difficult to see where former leader, Mary Harney, would have come to any different conclusion. She indicated as much over the last two days when she downplayed the Taoiseach's statement to the Dáil that she had been informed by him that he had got loans or money. "As I understand it what he said was that he thought he had told me, but he hadn't". She was in the same place as Mr McDowell yesterday. It was miles away from where Mr Des O'Malley was with a similar kind of statement from former taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, in his time.
The new PD leader and his parliamentary party can be legitimately criticised for vacillating on their reaction to the recent controversy. There was a flip-flop nature to their public statements. There was too much public wariness about the political problems of the PDs facing into the next general election and not enough about the principle of a serving minister for finance - who is Taoiseach and the architect of the ethics code now in force in the Oireachtas - receiving monies himself for personal reasons. But, neither Ms Harney nor Mr O'Malley ever had to face the problem posed to Mr McDowell on his first day taking Dáil questions as Tánaiste: Bertie Ahern, head of the Coalition Government for nine years, being the focus of Opposition parties for doing something wrong.
Mr McDowell said yesterday that the Coalition Government is safe if the damage done in recent times is repaired. That is his focus. He is to have meetings with the Taoiseach to repair that damage. How on earth can that be done? The acceptance of monies for whatever purpose is either right or wrong.
So be it. Many PD voters would have wished for the party to take a different course of action. The high moral ground, however, would have the PDs in the backbenches judging policies to which they were a party, a Fianna Fáil minority Government supported by Independents, possibly more revelations. And it would all contribute to the election of an alternative Fine Gael/Labour arrangement in which it could not play a part. Pragmatism, not principle, won the day.