He held on, and held on, and held on - and then all of a sudden Olmert let go of power in a hastily-arranged, surprise press conference.
"I believe with all my heart in my ability to continue to serve, the same as I believe in my innocence," he told Israeli prime time news on Wednesday night.
Well sorry mate, precious few people agree with you on either point.
As Olmert plummets through the rapid descent of his last few weeks in office, it is fair to say that no-one is sorry to see him go. Everyone is tired.
Olmert had one of the more stable coalitions in Israeli history. Surely he could have done so much?
But how will he be remembered - for the Second Lebanon War, a disaster of incredible proportions? For overshadowing Israel's much-anticipated 60th anniversary celebrations with the corruption allegations against him?
It's no wonder that even his former supporters are breathing a sigh of relief.
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