THE great and the good turned up to say farewell to Richard Haass, President Bush’s special envoy to Ireland, at the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C. last week.

Haass, of course, has left the State Department to become the new head of the Council on Foreign Relations, the most prestigious foreign policy body in the country which is based in New York.

However, as Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Noel Fahey pointed out, it is not farewell to Haass as he will be retaining his portfolio on Northern Ireland even while he is out of the administration.

But it is now clear that Haass will not have the role long term. The best guess is that he will be available for one more push to come in the fall to get the peace process over the final hump and recreate the power sharing institution that collapsed last year.

Haass’s experienced hand will be needed if that is to be accomplished, and there seems little doubt that he will give it everything in the next great drive to finally cement the peace process.

He is right to leave after that, however. Once you are out of an administration you lose your power. No doubt, given his good relationship with President George W. Bush, Haass can retain his control and authority on the issue for the immediate future, but after that he inevitably becomes less relevant.

Irish Foreign Minster Brian Cowen paid a fulsome tribute to Haass and stated that the progress that has been made since the Bush administration came to office could never have been achieved without his help.

In response, Haass made it clear that the Irish issue has entered his soul, and that he would like nothing better than to bring the peace process to fruition. 

Jokingly, he reminded the dinner guests that he had been involved in Cyprus, the Middle East and other world crises since he was in the State Department, and so far none of them had been successful. But he felt there was a real fighting chance that Ireland would be different.

If Haass didn’t think so, there is little doubt that he would have taken his new position in New York and cut all his White House ties. It is a special tribute to him that he will continue to seek a solution, even though it may not even be in his best interest given his new responsibilities.

Certainly, we cannot fault the Bush administration on this issue. Last Wednesday Cowen visited the White House and met with Vice President Dick Cheney because the boss was away in Africa. Cowen made it clear that Cheney was well briefed, and asked pointed questions on where the peace process was going.

When the Bush administration came to power there was a widespread belief in Irish American circles that the new president would be like his father and essentially ignore the issue. That has clearly not been the case.

Part of the reason has been the dogged pursuit of American involvement by the Irish government which fully understands how critical the U.S. is as an honest broker in the North.

In Foreign Minster Cowen they have an exceptionally shrewd politician who may well end up running the country some day. Indeed, opinion polls and the Fianna Fail party faithful make it clear that he is favorite to replace Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern if and when the leader steps down.

It is easy to see why. Cowen is an unvarnished politician who is enormously popular with the grassroots because of his blunt speaking style and direct manner.

In an age where politicians of all stripes are so focused on sound bites and never offending any constituency, Cowen is a refreshing change. He likes a drink and a smoke and is very much at home in the smoke filled backrooms where much of the political business in Ireland still gets done.

He has handled the Foreign Affairs portfolio superbly and is one of the bright lights in a government that is coming increasingly under pressure as the Celtic Tiger heyday grows more distant.

With men like Cowen and Haass one can always have hope for the peace process and the final breakthrough. One can only wish that those on the other side of the table will be as shrewd and committed when it comes to the final reckoning.