Was Gerry Adams yesterday making mischief based on that famous line of President Lyndon B Johnson who described one of his opponents as some sort of degenerate? But, Sir, so-and-so is not a degenerate, said one of the US president's aides.
"Yes, but let's hear him deny it," said Lyndon B.
You can picture Gerry saying to Martin McGuinness, "Martin, I'm proposing the Doc and yourself for First and Deputy First Minister."
"You're what! Sure, Paisley won't accept the nomination," says Mr McGuinness.
"Yes, but let's hear him reject it."
Under Assembly standing orders Dr Paisley had no option but to play to that Sinn Féin script. Here was an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Carson and Craig and be the chief minister of Northern Ireland - to achieve what is the ambition of most politicians: real power - and all Dr Paisley could utter was his favourite word, "No." Actually, when speaker Eileen Bell put the proposal to him, what Dr Paisley thundered was, "Certainly not."
We now have six months to the November 24th deadline set by Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair for reinstating the Northern Executive. How MLAs will occupy themselves over that period is anybody's guess because yesterday was a very negative affair.
Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey - under pressure for bringing David Ervine and therefore, according to some, the UVF under the UUP mantle - had an idea yesterday that would have given the parties some serious work to do.
He proposed a motion for today's Assembly sitting that an all-party Assembly committee be formed to address the sole subject of restoring devolution. This would have put the DUP and Sinn Féin around the same table. The parties seemed reasonably well disposed to the proposal and at the weekend even the Doc's deputy Peter Robinson appeared to see merit in the suggestion.
But that was until Dr Paisley, exuding energy, strode into the great hall of Parliament Buildings at Stormont to talk to us after the phony First and Deputy First Minister vote.
No, he would not sit with the "leadership of Sinn Féin/IRA". In fact, added the DUP leader, he would not even sit with Reg Empey because the UUP was now linked to the UVF.
Who's left to talk to, observers wondered.
And with that Northern Secretary Peter Hain, who sets the order of business, had no option but to withdraw Sir Reg's motion from today's agenda. Instead, those who turn up will debate an important but, in terms of properly reinstating Stormont, insignificant motion on rural planning today.
