The Progressive Democrats helped to stabilise Bertie Ahern's position last night, but a long-awaited statement from Tánaiste Michael McDowell was based on the assumption that nothing further would emerge to damage the Taoiseach's credibility.
Phrases like "based on what the Taoiseach has stated" and "in the light of what the Taoiseach has said" give Mr McDowell an out, in the event of information emerging in the future which shows that Mr Ahern has not told the full story.
However, if the Taoiseach has dealt with all the issues surrounding his finances in the course of the past two days, then the PDs are committed to keeping him in office until he decides to call an election some time next year.
The Tánaiste did suggest that Mr Ahern should now pay back the money, with interest, that he got from his friends in 1993 and 1994.
Mr McDowell issued his statement after a one-hour meeting of his parliamentary party in Leinster House last night and he appeared to have the complete backing of the party for his strategy.
The statement was critical of the Taoiseach's friends rather than Mr Ahern himself for providing him with money and landing him in the current political mess.
"Based on what the Taoiseach has stated, it is clear to me that the actions of a group of friends in late 1993 and in 1994, in advancing to him monies to assist him in the discharge of liabilities arising from his separation, were ill-advised.
"Based on what he has stated, it would also appear that these actions were well-intentioned and were not intended by them to have any improper effect or to compromise the Taoiseach in his then role as minister for finance or public representative," Mr McDowell said.
"In the light of what the Taoiseach has said about their identity and of pre-existing relationships of personal friendship and trust, and in the light of the scale of the individual payments, it is reasonable to accept that the motive for the payments was benevolent and was not intended to compromise, to be corrupt, or to obtain improper influence or reward.
"It seems to me that the Taoiseach should probably have declined such help even in the very difficult personal circumstances which he faced in 1993. However, I think it fair to say in the light of what the Taoiseach has stated that accepting such help was an honest error of judgment and was neither dishonest nor corrupt."
Mr McDowell suggested that the Taoiseach should now refund the money with interest and that if the donors were reluctant to accept it, then it should go to charitable causes.
He also condemned the "unlawful, very carefully timed, ill-motivated betrayal of confidence by someone with access to the papers of the tribunal" and said it risked becoming discredited and ineffective if it could not prevent such abuses.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte accused Mr McDowell of adopting a self-serving formula to keep his party in office.
"We may as well have single-party government, as the PDs are now handcuffed to Fianna Fáil for the duration of this Dáil. After almost a week of untypical silence, Mr McDowell has made a fateful decision for himself and his party."
Fine Gael echoed the charge, saying that the PDs were "clearly driven by a determination to keep Fianna Fáil in power for 15 years and were not concerned with the issue of accountability in high office".
