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Not surprisingly, Republican consultant and Romney adviser Charley Manning disagrees. "As usual, I don’t think Phil really knows what he’s talking about," Manning says. "Having the crown of Speaker passed from the number-one guy to the number-two guy, neither of whom are reformers, doesn’t change the dynamic of the legislative races at all." Even if Manning is wrong — and it’s hard to imagine successor Sal DiMasi’s name stirring up the Republican base like Finneran’s would have — Johnston’s argument has another weak spot. If Finneran gets praise for forcing the Republicans to retool in the middle of the campaign, then Romney deserves credit for demonizing Finneran to the point that the former Speaker may actually help his party by quitting. (Tuesday was Finneran’s last day as Speaker, but he will serve out the remainder of his legislative term.) Finneran himself isn’t blameless on this count, of course: whether he was killing the voter-approved Clean Elections Law, demoting chairpersons who disagreed with him, or springing a surprise anti-gay-marriage amendment on this year’s constitutional convention, the former Speaker has made it clear for some time that he saw no need to moderate the exercise of his power. But without Romney going after him — or, more accurately, dispatching his minions to go after him — Finneran might have been happy to run roughshod over the House for another few years.

It’s a commonplace among students of Finneran that the former Speaker reveled in the scorn heaped on him by critics. But Finneran’s annual address to the Commonwealth earlier this year, in which he defended the "men and women of Beacon Hill" against Romney’s unabashed contempt (see "Between the Lines," News and Features, January 23), suggested both a personal sensitivity to criticism and a protective loyalty to his colleagues. Stepping down now gives Finneran respite from the attacks leveled by Romney and good-government critics alike. It also makes things easier for Democratic legislators who face Republican challengers in this election cycle. As far as final gestures go, it’s a good one. Unfortunately for the Democrats, it also represents a triumph for Romney, who can now brag that both Finneran and another powerful Democrat, former Senate president and UMass president William Bulger, left taxpayer-funded jobs on his watch.

ON TUESDAY, his last day as Speaker, Tom Finneran entered the State House chambers to a standing ovation. Ten minutes and 56 hugs later, he finally took the podium to address his colleagues. Finneran led off with a joke directed at his successor, former majority leader DiMasi (D-Boston), a liberal legislator who spared the chamber a bitter Speakership battle by crafting a deal with House Ways and Means chair John Rogers (D-Norwood): "Sal, I don’t know how to tell you this," Finneran said. "But I changed my mind." After the obligatory yuks and another wisecrack — Finneran urged the reporters watching in the press gallery to make DiMasi their new "target of opportunity" — he got serious. "I am the luckiest guy in the world, and you guys made me the luckiest guy in the world," he said. "So thank you very much." As his voice broke slightly, Finneran stepped back from the podium and struggled to compose himself. A few minutes later, he lauded his colleagues for their dedication and talent. "There never was a day when I wasn’t coming into this place skipping with enthusiasm," Finneran proclaimed. "Because whatever I did, it was going to be fun." As the speech concluded, the members of the House rose to their feet several more times to shower their leader with loud applause.

It was a touching display. But it was also a reminder that — despite the former Speaker’s desire to be remembered as someone who went out at the top of his game — this was not the Finneran of yore. Like a once-great pitcher struggling with velocity and control, Finneran’s command of his chamber had ebbed of late. His bid for authority to give substantial pay raises to his top lieutenants was defeated, for example. A federal court overruled the House’s 2001 redistricting. And Finneran’s attempt to push an anti-gay-marriage amendment through the constitutional convention failed. These setbacks humanized Finneran: without them, the same colleagues who chafed for years at his dictatorial style might have been slower to grasp his arm and wish him well this week. But they also put the lie to the tale Finneran is telling about himself. He has been chased. He has been nudged. And while Finneran didn’t fall victim to a palace coup, it’s a reach to say that he’s leaving on his own terms.

Adam Reilly can be reached at areilly[a]phx.com