Thank British flabbiness in the face of the IRA, maybe, but for an Irish prime minister that is a real feather in the cap: the prospect, however distant or unreal, of Irish unity, combined with an all-but end to violence in the north, a change that many in the republic care a lot more about.Not least, Mr Ahern has survived.
Among the mid caps, the prospect of a takeover battle for Forth Ports sent shares in the owner of Rosyth, Grangemouth and Tilbury ports soaring by more than a quarter, up 286p to £14.03.
Dundee United have signed Charlie Telfer from Rangers, with the Scotland Under-19 cap saying the prospect of first-team football was his motivation.
In a conference call with analysts and investors, Fannie Mae executives said they welcomed the removal of the portfolio caps and the prospect of lower capital requirements, but emphasized that the company would be conservative in using its new freedom.
I have never picked mushrooms, nor have I tasted liberty caps, and the prospect of doing both fills me with glee.
And while Ford says he is "definitely ready" for his first cap, he admits the prospect of facing Ireland's much-vaunted midfield is a bigger challenge than anything he has experienced so far in his career.
Yet after a career that has taken him from the streets of Stepney Green to Arsenal, Chelsea and 107 caps for his country, the prospect of starting a new life in Italy at the age of 33 will surely not faze Ashley Cole in quite the same way.
For some companies, the prospect of cap and trade, a health care bill that does not restrain costs, unionization bills and higher corporate/personal tax rates may be too much for a hiring tax credit to overcome.
If the committee fails, then the total debt limit increase is capped at $2.1 trillion, which raises the prospect of having to raise it again before the election (depending on the health of the economy).
Some groups in California have been very uneasy about the prospect of cap-and-trade.
Excited at the prospect of capping their 14-month fostering experience with the official stamp of parental approval at 9 30 a.m. the following morning, they nonetheless had a day of struggles with their very soon-to-be legally adopted daughter.
