DAIL SKETCH/Frank McNally: Almost nobody mentioned the war yesterday, a day the domestic agenda reasserted itself. The great deluge of the peace marches had subsided, and the dreary steeples of health and education emerged again, their shortages of funding unaltered in the cataclysm that had swept the world.
The Taoiseach cut a lonely figure during question time, with the benches behind him as deserted as the streets of Baghdad during an air-raid. Perhaps his backbenchers had heard of the planned build-up of Government planes and feared the Opposition would attack with lump-hammers. But the Opposition clearly hadn't heard yet, and its only target was the Programme for Government.
On reflection, perhaps this explained the Taoiseach's isolation. Bertie Ahern has a habit of tucking a hand into his jacket during question time, like Napoleon addressing his troops on the eve of battle. But the shortage of troops yesterday highlighted the fact that defending the Programme for Government in current economic circumstances is less like the Battle of Austerlitz than the retreat from Moscow.
It was, as the Taoiseach protested, a bit early to be reviewing the programme. But that didn't stop the Opposition. Enda Kenny claimed it was "utterly discredited"; Trevor Sargent suggested it be rewritten for conditions in the "real world"; and Pat Rabbitte urged the Government to come clean and tell the electorate: "We fooled you, but we didn't mean any harm - we were only doing it to buy the election."
Mr Ahern didn't buy the analysis. Nor was he moved by the sad story of Duncan and Mary: the fictional single-income couple who - as the Labour leader reminded us - were supposed to be €95 better off as a result of the Budget.
As Mr Rabbitte told it, increased charges had instead reduced Duncan and Mary to the status of economic refugees. To which the Taoiseach quipped that they would resent having to pay Mr Rabbitte's "wealth tax" on top of everything else.
Sadly, on €40,000, Duncan can only dream of wealth tax. And for another four years anyway, that's all Mr Rabbitte can do either.
The Opposition was in a sour mood, and not even a Government proposal to refer the Dáil's ratification of the "International Organisation of Vine and Wine Agreement" to committee escaped.
Was the motion passed, asked the Ceann Comhairle. "Tá," said the Government TDs. "Níl," said the voices from the whine-producing region opposite.