JUST over five years ago Enda Kenny's political career was over. His attempt to succeed John Bruton as Fine Gael leader had ended in defeat and in an act of vindictiveness Michael Noonan dropped him from the party's frontbench. In January 2002 I was presenting the This Week radio programme on RTE Radio 1. The latest in a serious of opinion polls showing Noonan's FG going nowhere had just been published. I rang Kenny to ask his view and to see if he would agree to an interview. From his enthusiastic response it was obvious that he had had few media calls since his failed leadership bid.

Kenny came on the programme. He called on Fine Gael supporters to rally to their party's cause and to support Noonan ahead of the 2002 general election. It mustn't have been easy. He had every right to put the knife into Noonan. But it said a great deal about Kenny's loyalty and judgement that he put his party first.

Last week Fianna Fail imported Bill Clinton and Tony Blair to stress its man's considerable political experience.

And it is right. Bertie Ahern is vastly more experienced than his Fine Gael counterpart. Kenny's political career has been unexceptional. His ministerial record was unremarkable. He's not ideologically driven and, just like Ahern, he's a relatively conservative middle-aged man.

But as he showed in January 2002, and again in last week's leaders' debate, Kenny has other qualities that would stand him well if he becomes Taoiseach. The continued revelations about Ahern's personal finances should elevate character as a determining issue. There is no taint on Kenny's record. He has also dragged his party back from the political brink. He has slogged over the last five years although despite his hard work there have been times when he has failed to convince that he could be Taoiseach.

He probably did enough last week to leave open the possibility he could do the job. Importantly, he has shown he can lead a team, a quality that would be invaluable in a leader heading up a multi-party coalition. The election results may yet go either way but with a handful of days to polling day, Fine Gael is as close as it has been since November 1982 to winning a general election. Even if Kenny is not Taoiseach when this contest is over, he will have done a remarkable job for Fine Gael. At the very least, given that his party is set to win additional seats, he will be known as the man who saved Fine Gael.

Look and learn

A FAILURE to be wowed by the marketing efforts of the main political parties is the assessment of Breandan O'Broin in the last edition of Marketingmagazine.

O'Broin is highly critical of the various campaigns and the poster images of the various party leaders.

"In Enda Kenny's case, the makeover artists have bequeathed him a worrying effete countenance, as if they have overstepped the mark in an effort to blowdry the Mayo out of him.

Bertie Ahern has abandoned the blouson and is now nicely filling his suits.

Greenie Trevor Sargent tends to look a bit too buttoned up (Sargent majorish), while Pat Rabbitte is all jowls and there is little anyone can do about jowls.

Michael McDowell has taken to smiling down from above in the 48 sheets [posters] which is scary.

Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. . . are leaving the Sinn Fein campaign in the hands of their less winning and winsome cousins south of the six counties."

POOR Jim O'Keefe. The Fine Gael justice spokesman was responsible for his party leader's most awkward moment in last Thursday night's debate. Kenny's claim that O'Keefe didn't have the official statistics when he admitted crime was falling was one of the rare moments of humour in the TV debate.

Now on the basis of Kenny's pledge to sack incompetent ministers, O'Keefe must be clinging on to his frontbench job. And that probably all but rules out a ministerial job for the Cork South West TD.

Who are the comeback kids?

DEPENDING on the election outcome the word Lazarus may end up being applied to either Fianna Fail or Fine Gael. A win for Fine Gael, given the party's 2002 meltdown, will bring Lazarus into the headlines.

But a late Fianna Fail comeback, given its messy 2007 campaign, will see Lazarus being attached to descriptions of the party's performance.

The really interesting issue will be at what point does Bertie Ahern's hold on the Fianna Fail leadership loosen. Less than 70 seats and Ahern is in trouble.

Less than 65 and he will be in retirement before Tony Blair leaves 10 Downing Street. For Enda Kenny, fewer than 50 seats, and no government, would probably see his departure as Fine Gael leader early in the life of the next Dail.

But with more than 50 seats . . . and regardless of whether his party is in power or not . . . there would be a strong argument for giving Kenny another shot at becoming Taoiseach.