Make a comment
Larger Text
Print
E-mailIntelligencer
Big Boost For Bertie
HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped a nice surprise for Taoiseach (Prime Minster) Bertie Ahern during last week's events surrounding the visit of the North's First Minister Ian Paisley and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
The announcement that Ahern will address a joint session of Congress in early 2008 is a big boost to a politician who has been feeling the heat in Ireland because of the Mahon Tribunal investigation into allegations of corruption in Fianna Fail back in the 1980s and 1990s.
The joint session is a huge honor and shows clearly the clout that the Irish government enjoys in Washington. Very few countries get to receive the honor, but this is the second time in a little over a decade (John Bruton received the honor as taoiseach in 1996) that Ireland has been given the opportunity.
For Ahern himself, it completes a remarkable double. In May this year he addressed the British Parliament in a widely praised speech, becoming the first Irish leader to do so.
Pelosi has Irish connections herself. Her daughter is married to an Irish American whose parents live in Ireland, and two of her grandchildren, Liam and Molly, have been baptized there.
Speech Likely In April
MOST observers assumed Ahern would make the address to the joint session around St. Patrick's Day, but that is unlikely to happen because of a quirk in the calendar.
St. Patrick's Day and Easter are in the same week because of how early Easter falls this year. That means Congress will not be in session on the Tuesday before Easter which is when St. Pat's falls.
Thus the decision is likely to be that the address will take place in April when Congress is back in session.
This is probably good news for Ahern, who is under increasing pressure in Ireland to step down to make way for his likely successor Brian Cowen, currently minister for finance.
Ahern has already stated he will not lead his party into the next election and that he will stand aside, but it seems now the pressure is growing that that may happen sooner rather than later.
That pressure is likely to grow in the run-up to Christmas because Ahern is due to again face the tribunal the week before the holiday to give further evidence.
See more: Intelligencer
