They were damned if they did and damned if they didn't. In terms of real politik, there was no earthly way that members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party could entertain the notion of entering the new Dáil today to nominate Mr Michael Noonan as Taoiseach, given the meltdown which they suffered in the recent general election. It would have been equally difficult to return to the past to invite Mr John Bruton to become caretaker for the summer season.
They proceeded, some would say with unnecessary haste, to hold a four-way contest and Mr Enda Kenny is their new leader.
The election of a new leader of the main Opposition party should be welcomed. The health of our democratic system depends, not just on good government, but also on a rigorous and questioning opposition. Fine Gael still has a major role to play, although there are many who may have difficulty seeing that at this point in time. The party was routed in the general election; many of its most experienced front-line figures were removed from the political stage; and the depleted and demoralised ranks of 31 TDs are traumatised by the result.
They were presented with four chairmen, not a chief, yesterday. Mr Kenny was their choice . "We are now a rejuvenated party", he proclaimed within half-an-hour of his election. Hardly. But he was more persuasive in his diagnosis of the problems facing the party: the divisions from the Bruton/Noonan era, the communications breakdown, the plethora of policies for every day of the week which were not sold to the electorate. His main focus was on the need to unite the party and use the best talents on the team.
The challenge facing the new leader is daunting if he is to create the capacity for the party to recover. Mr Kenny comes with a clean slate but he has yet to prove himself. He first entered politics in 1975 - two years before the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern - and has little to show for a full 27 years close to the top of Fine Gael. He was Minister for Tourism and Trade in the Rainbow Government between 1994 and 1997. He served as Minister of State for Youth Affairs between 1986 and 1987. He has held many front-bench spokesmenships in different portfolios.
For all of his years in the Dáil, however, he cannot be remembered for one political initiative. He has not espoused any particular policy. He has never played a high-profile role. He has presided over the Fine Gael domination of the Mayo constituency in many elections up to the last. But, friend and foe say that he is a nice man.
The blessing of another boyish face on the political poster - Mr Kenny, like the Taoiseach, is 51 this year -- will not rejuvenate Fine Gael between now and the next general election. Political tides come in and go out and Fine Gael's hour may come again. But it will have to work hard for it. It will have to cast off the amateur status, define what it stands for, foster a distinct identity, and communicate its message to voters. Political parties can, and do, vanish in the mists of history. Mr Kenny could do worse than honour his memorable phrase in the last leadership race to "electrify the party".