The excuses and explanations offered to the Dail this week by the Taoiseach for the inclusion of Mr Ray Burke in his first Cabinet are as unconvincing now as they were when the disgraced Minister was forced to resign over corruption charges in 1997.
True, Mr Burke was a clever politician. But the previous Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat government led by Mr Albert Reynolds had managed perfectly well without him. And Mr Ahern's new government eventually did the same. No, there was something odd about Mr Burke's appointment. And Mr Ahern's judgement was clearly at fault.
Some months ago, the Taoiseach admitted he had been subjected to "an enormous amount of lobbying" in relation to the composition of the present Cabinet, after Mr Joe Walsh and Mr Michael Smith were included when younger ambitious backbenchers were expecting promotion. Was similar pressure exerted in 1997?
The Taoiseach has argued that if he knew then what has now become common knowledge, Mr Burke would never have been appointed. But the Taoiseach knew - because he had been told by Mr Burke - that a payment of £30,000 had been made to him by JMSE in 1989 and that £10,000 had been passed to Fianna Fail.
However, he also knew that JMSE was denying payment of this very large sum, which could have funded the election campaigns of three TDs in those days. And he raised no questions with party headquarters about the £10,000 that had, in fact, come from Rennicks, a subsidiary of Fitzwilton. At the same time, Mr Reynolds and Ms Maire Geoghegan-Quinn cautioned him about Mr Burke's involvement in the passports-for-sale scheme.
Just what would it have taken to alarm the Taoiseach ? When the matter finally erupted in the Dail, his response was to prevent its investigation by the Moriarty tribunal. Only later, and under intense pressure, was the Flood tribunal established.
The Dail has now discussed an initial report from that tribunal. All parties expressed shock and outrage over the corruption that was revealed. And all spoke of reform and retribution.
The opposition concentrated their fire on the behaviour and judgement of both the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, in relation to Mr Burke. Government speakers, in turn, focused on the findings of the Flood report, which dealt with pre-1997 matters. And Mr Ahern defended his own integrity against what he described as malicious allegations by Mr Enda Kenny of Fine Gael and Labour's Mr Ruairi Quinn.
The Taoiseach undertook to establish a Corruption Assets Bureau, as originally promised last March. In all, the debate over two days this week has added little to public knowledge of events and even less to confidence in the political system.