The Irish prime minister, Brian Cowen, again insisted that there was no application for a bailout, but he told Parliament in Dublin that discussions would take place "based on the facts".
As the Treasury Department considers life insurers' applications for a bailout, big questions remain about how hard a bargain the government will drive.
Greece has submitted an application for a third bailout programme, in an attempt to avoid crashing out of the eurozone.
Officials in Brussels and Dublin said that Ireland had not made any formal application for a loan and that without such an application, no bailout could be approved or executed.
"I called for bailout," the lieutenant recalled.
Witness the lack of asking for bailout dollars.
Even though they vehemently deny it, VCs are looking for bailout money and tax-breaks.
President George W. Bush made several televised pleas for bailout support.
US Airways, which has frequently been mentioned as a likely candidate for a bailout because of its financial woes, said on Monday that it had no plans to file an application for loan guarantees.
Despite Ireland's application a week ago for a bailout package, the markets have continued to threaten the stability of the euro, and yields on 10-year bonds climbed last week in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy.
