Two months ago, the Government was on the rack as a drip-feed of cutbacks and fee rises left Fianna Fáil backbenchers, in particular, uncomfortable and restless in the constituencies, write Mark Hennessy.
Faced with a far bigger list of economies by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, in the Book of Estimates, the Government's troops remained quiet as they left the Dáil late on Thursday.
So what has changed? Back in the late summer, those left on the Fianna Fáil backbenches were still smarting after having been ignored by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in his list of promotions.
In addition, the Government's early warning system had gone to sleep after the May election as ministers became accustomed to new Cabinet briefs, and vacancies in party offices remained unfilled.
The furore rattled Mr Ahern, a man who has become used to the public's admiration, and even Mr McCreevy, who often manages to convince himself that he can ignore the opinion of others.
Instead of the accidental policy of drip-feed, the Government opted to hit hard: front loading bad news, so that the Budget, when it comes in early December, may appear easier to swallow.
Since the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting in Killarney, a number of things have happened. Firstly, the party's troops are getting "reams of paper" from departments through Fianna Fáil's press office.
Buttressed by such "bullet points", they have been able to go on local radio stations and, at least, avoid being savaged. The Progressive Democrats, on the other hand, have been happy to keep a low profile.
Secondly, a strategy has been in place since the Cabinet's very first meeting in Farmleigh, when Mr McCreevy left colleagues in no doubt that the early years of power would be awful.
"Everybody knew what the story was. Tough decisions would have to be taken in the first half, so that better times could follow," one Cabinet minister told The Irish Times in early August.
From Killarney onwards, the Government has deliberately worked to condition the public mind, and those of backbenchers.
Indeed, Mr Ahern and Mr McCreevy seemed to revel in doling out the latest chapter of woe.
In the days running up to the Estimates, Cabinet ministers flocked around the Dáil's Members' Bar in unusual numbers in an effort to let colleagues share their pain as they struggled to square budgets.
On Thursday, the Minister for Finance met up to 40 FF TDs in his first engagement after the Estimates' publication. Other ministers prepared briefing notes for the Parliamentary Party.
In truth, most of the attempt at better communications has not been rocket science, but old-fashioned slogging. However, it was not done between May and September, and they paid the price for it.
But politicians are well aware of the dangers of single issues around which opposition can form. "Never give the public bad news that they can understand," said one experienced world-weary FF TD.
Now, the Government must pray that the abolition of the first-time buyers' grants by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, will not become the rock on which their plans will perish.
In reality, the buyers' grants have long been "hoovered up" by the very same builders who left their gleaming Mercedes in serried ranks to spend €3,000 a table at Fianna Fáil's Galway Races tent.
Even if the benefit was illusory, the grant cheque has covered part of a deposit, bought tables and chairs, and maybe a sofa, for new homeowners.
None will ever be persuaded that prices will drop by an equivalent amount. So far, the Government's antennae report that the issue is "a problem", but not one on the scale of the first foiled attempt to levy DIRT on credit union savings, or Mr McCreevy's individualisation changes.
Further bad news has been signalled: the public will pay more for drugs once the Drugs Payments Scheme limits are increased. And they will pay more to the VHI and BUPA once private bed costs rise.
Furthermore, the Government has created hostages to fortune.
Faced with tougher times, the health boards, for instance, can turn the screws and close hospital beds. Then backbenchers will truly scream.