All political lives end in failure, Enoch Powell, a British politician, once declared. Few people illustrate his point as well as Brian Cowen, Ireland's taoiseach (prime minister), whose political career is likely to end after a general election that is likely to be held on February 25th. He has failed in dramatic fashion. From being his Fianna Fail party's greatest asset when he succeeded Bertie Ahern as taoiseach in 2008, Mr Cowen has now become its biggest liability. As finance minister in 2004-08, he failed to control a rambunctious property boom. And as prime minister he failed to contain the subsequent bust, culminating last November in an ignominious bail-out by the European Union and imf.
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