Perhaps the Old Lion of Kinsealy should consider a trip to Dublin Zoo to see how a national institution can be rehabilitated, restored, revitalised and possibly made politically correct. Yesterday, the zoo made a giant step on its road to rehabilitation following much criticism over the years with a visit by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to open two theme areas.
Gone now is the politically unacceptable "polar bear enclosure". It has been replaced by a theme area called "Fringes of the Arctic" containing the polar bears, Ootech and Spunky, four snowy owls and three Arctic foxes.
According to a press release, the new bear enclosure "pushes the limits of the knowledge of the behavioural needs of polar bears in captivity, perhaps the only facility in the world in a zoo to do so".
In a week when the limits of the knowledge of the behavioural needs of certain politicians were pushed almost as far as they could go, there was an Arctic blast when the gentlefolk of the press wanted to talk about the events earlier in the week.
The Taoiseach was, however, delighted to talk about his long association with the zoo, which he used to visit as a child with his father. However, as his father worked very long hours very frequently, the young Ahern had to be content walking around the perimeter looking in over the fences at the animals.
As the press followed Mr Ahern to what used to be known as "Pets Corner" but now renamed "City Farm", he told us how he used to bring his children there on Sundays to relax and look at the animals.
The objective of the "City Farm", according to Dr Peter Wilson, the zoo's director, was to explain to children, especially city children, the place of farm animals in their daily lives and to give them first-hand experience of domestic animals, including pets.
The Taoiseach was prepared to argue the toss with the media that the zoo farm might be the only farm left in Ireland after the expansion and reform of the EU, which will cut structural and agricultural funding.
In fact, Mr Ahern was quite prepared to talk about anything under the sun, such as the way he shares the dislike of most real Dubliners for the song The Rare Ould Times, which, he says, gives a very distorted view of poverty and misery in those rare old days.
He talked of the beauty of rural Ireland, rural development, the plans for the zoo, the North. You name it, he talked about it except, of course, you-know-who.
He did concede, however, that "this had been a tough week" as he headed for home.