There's a political blizzard raging over the alleged IRA attempt to abduct and, according to the PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, to murder Bobby Tohill.
Bertie Ahern was in no doubt the Belfast man was destined for some shallow grave in south Armagh; Tony Blair is chastising republicans; David Trimble is threatening a walkout; Ian Paisley is demanding sanctions against Sinn Féin; Mark Durkan is pleading for the Provos to just get off the stage and let the politicians get on with politics.
Gerry Adams's analysis of all this is quite simple: "They should all go and boil their heads." This was the Sinn Féin president when first interviewed on Ash Wednesday, a day when he was feeling far from penitent.
His view on the Taoiseach's assumption yesterday that he had been a member of the IRA required a second shorter comment from the Sinn Féin leader to round out Wednesday's interview.
His initial reaction to reporters yesterday was in the Saxon vernacular, but when contacted by The Irish Times at teatime he was more restrained. "The Taoiseach's assumption is wrong." "You were never in the IRA, Mr Adams? "That's correct."
Gerry Adams has been working all week on his keynote speech for this weekend's ardfheis. Like Dr Paisley, he has his moods. He is exasperated by all the sound and fury over Bobby Tohill, as if it were not a real issue of concern, even if it is emanating from the British and Irish leaders and the most senior politicians in Northern Ireland.
Mr Ahern was in no doubt that but for the intervention of the PSNI, Mr Tohill was a dead man. Mr Adams didn't see it like that. "We are in a crisis because there was a row in a pub! We are in a crisis because of allegations of IRA involvement in this! I think we just need to get real about this," he said.
Not only is he in no humour to address seriously the allegations or the political fallout, he is in fact rather contemptuous of the whole reaction, placing responsibility for this debacle back in the court of his critics.
He says those making most noise are guilty of "grandstanding", that Dr Paisley and Mr Trimble are battling it out as to who appears most macho.
One of Sinn Féin's rules of political engagement is to avoid too much mention of its political opponents. But Mr Adams makes an exception for the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell. His comments on Sunday in the wake of the Tohill attack about Sinn Féin's "vomit-making hypocrisy" rankled.
But objectively is there not some merit to his comment about Sinn Féin complaining about human rights when the IRA shoots people in the legs, or protesting about corruption when the IRA is engaged in smuggling, robberies and other criminality, or chastising the police when the IRA metes out its own brutal form of policing?
"I don't accept for one second what he has been saying. If a Minister for Justice has information or evidence that a person is involved in criminal activity then he should be subjected to due process. It is as simple as that," responds Mr Adams, challenging Mr McDowell to put up or shut up.
But would he accept the allegation that the IRA engages in criminality? "This is all shite, if you don't mind me using that imperative," he asserts. "I am saying that there is no evidence of republican involvement in criminality at all."
He indicates - as has Martin McGuinness, who led the Sinn Féin defence this week - that the Tohill incident is the sort of thing that happens in a period of conflict resolution.
"I appreciate totally and absolutely that the IRA has to go away. Absolutely.
"That is not an issue as far as I am concerned. It is the achievement of that that should be the focus," he says.
Throughout this interview, Mr Adams harps on a consistent point: making politics work won't happen without Sinn Féin, and persuading the IRA to "go away" can only be achieved through all the parties engaging together, and all issues being addressed.
"I have pointed out, and I have been very consistent about this, a peaceful direction for republicans to follow. I did that because I believe it.
"I am not prepared to let anybody seek to destroy the progress that has been made because they are playing little political games within unionism or within nationalism."
All the barracking of republicanism won't affect the upbeat theme of this weekend's Sinn Féin ardfheis. Republicans thrive on such pressure. They are looking forward to making major gains in the June local elections in the South, and hope for at least one seat each in Dublin and Northern Ireland in the European elections the same day.
Mr Adams provided a hint of the line of attack republicans will employ in the elections: a plague on Fianna Fáil and all the other parties, an attempt to portray them as incompetent, as uncaring for the poor and vulnerable but sucking up to the wealthy, and linking them all to a culture of corruption.
Interviewing Mr Adams, one gets the sense that there is little prospect of immediate political movement. He seems to view the Tohill issue as a glitch rather than a crisis.
He is observing closely and with interest the moves within the DUP towards some form of accommodation with nationalism and republicanism. "We will do business with whoever is in the leadership of unionism," he says.
"It remains my conviction that in the longer term we are going to get all of this sorted out. It is the stamina, the tenacity and the patience which is required in the short term that is very challenging."
Sinn Féin has never been short of patience or tenacity, but Mr Adams does appear to be running short on some of the latter or may be reshaping his personal priorities.
It was a difficult year for the Sinn Féin leader: in addition to a hectic 12 months of politics, he lost his father, sister-in-law and niece, all of which took a heavy emotional toll.
He is going to make time for himself amid the usual turmoil and logjam.
"I am going to smell the roses," says Mr Adams.
