Síle de Valera has raised interesting questions about Bertie Ahern's political skills, writes Mark Hennessy.
Fianna Fáil TDs jokingly wished each other a Happy Christmas yesterday morning as they gathered for breakfast in Leinster House's self-service restaurant.
Following Minister of State Síle de Valera's claims that she had a three-month-old deal with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to step down next December, most FF TDs just laughed, believing that events have moved long past farce.
"How hard could it be to get rid of one guy and promote another? Instead, he dithered for two months, surprised everyone by appointing Mary Wallace and didn't tell de Valera where to go," said one grumpy TD.
Mirroring the adage that a man who gets up early soon need not get up at all, FF TDs have long believed that Mr Ahern has a Machiavellian-like capacity to play the long game, to see further than others.
So ingrained has this become that some are disbelieving in the face of blunders: "I know these are mistakes, and bad ones, but a part of me is still saying that he must know what he is doing," said one backbencher.
The news that Mary Wallace, known as "Wednesday" Wallace for turning up in the Dáil only once a week after she was sacked in 2002, went on a holiday for four days just after her promotion provoked quiet fury.
So far, the drama surrounding the junior jobs has provoked humour and ridicule, but a significant number of FF TDs have done in the last week what they have never done before: laughed at Mr Ahern, even if behind his back.
"There were lads this week who were agreeing with comments, and laughed at things that they would never have agreed with before," said one Leinster backbencher.
For many, Ms de Valera's Wednesday intervention capped all: "The controversy was dying, finally. She started it off again and made Bertie look like an idiot," said another.
Voicing others' thoughts, one Dublin TD expressed "astonishment" that the affair should so consume the media, though Ms de Valera's contemptuous tone towards journalists had not helped.
Some accept that she is telling the truth. A few do not.
Last November, she was definite that she would be around for the Government's remaining 18 months, and she was equally definite three weeks ago when she addressed the FF Tipperary South selection convention.
Though most TDs are more concerned about holding on to their seats, even the most self-obsessed believe this has damaged Mr Ahern, and, more importantly, left them open to ridicule.
Furthermore, the story will not go away, since many TDs believe Ms de Valera will go before December, while her replacement by Seán Haughey, if that happens, will further fuel charges that Mr Ahern backs down in the face of challenge.
Though the controversy will fade, it will leave an unpleasant residue - one ridiculously large given the rank's relative unimportance.
"He has made us look like fools, look pathetic," said one deeply-irritated TD.