Blair Suffers Setbacks In Bid For EU Presidency

AFP:

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) -- Tony Blair's prospects of leading a new-look European Union took a double hit on Tuesday as a serious rival became the first to declare his intentions and Italy backtracked on earlier support.

Read the whole story: AFP

Comments

[nogimmicks]

Blair belongs to Hague, not Brussels.

[BADRALDUJA]

FOR GODS SAKE WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO FORCE US INTO ACCEPTING THIS BLOOD MONGER B'LIAR TO BE PRESIDENT OF EUROPE,,HE SHOULD BE IN THE HAGUE COURTS WITH BUSH AND GANG FOR LIES AND WAR CRIMES>>
WHY CANT THEY CAST A EUROPEAN VOTE AND SEE,,I BET 99.9% WILLL NOT VOTE FOR THIS CHESHIRE CAT WHO IS SMILLING 24/7 WHILST INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE GETTING MURRDERED IN HS NAME

[blueskybigstar]

This is great news. Blair, like the Bush administration should be facing war crimes.

[smilodon1]

He deserves to be retired to obscurity and spend the rest of his life tweeting with his republicanderthal pals in the U. S.

[karen1p]

I hope this "Bush Wannabe" does not get to hold this office. He is a disgrace just like Bush....

I traveled in England during the Bush years...and the populace told me they were just as disgusted with Blair as we were with Bush.....

NO NO NO NO!

[ResidualSelfImage]

I hope Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker becomes the EU President.
He can do an investigation and issue arrest warrants for Blair, Bush, Cheney Rumsfeld
Mcckrystal etc etc.

[ask0]

How can Europe even consider Bushes poodle for the role of EU president.

Blair was not independent. He didnt make decisions that were in the best interests for Britian.
He didnt fight for what his people wanted. He didnt fight for what Europeans wanted.

How can they consider selecting a man when he didnt put Europes interests first. He chose to obey Bush - his not too intelligent master.

Selecting Blair would be like selecting Bush to be the head of Europe.

This decision to select a poodle would make me truly embarrased to be part of the European Union.

[Ralph Noyes]

You lie down with dogs like Bush, you get fleas.

That will be Tony Blair's legacy.

[LiberalDem]

I've never understood why Blair should even be considered for the EU presidency, given that the UK's standoffish position toward the EU.

[Klimb]

Exactly! Is Britain is part of the EU?

[arvay]

Lets be clear.

The US and the UK will always oppose a really effective European continental union, because that makes them and us just "offshore islands."

That's why Britain opposed Napoleon and why it opposed the rise of Germany. All the bleating about democracy is crap. Churchill wanted the world ruled by "English speaking peoples" even if he had to mortgage away the UK's independence.

The EU, whether headed by Blair or any other politician, is a bureaucratic mess, useful in some areas but not an effective unity structure.

What Europe really needs is an overarching entente between Germany and Russia, mating European technical expertise with Russian resources.The EU can continue as a rubber stamp.

Screw the UK, France and the US, if Europe wants to be truly united and independent. Dissolve NATO and build a real power base on the leadership of Europe's real leaders. Build social, cultural, economic and military ties between Russia and Germany so that the coming of decades will see the evolution of a reinvigorated Europe.

[FloresdelaHoz]

Arvay, excellent post. You understand the Continent and the delicate relationship between Germany and Russia better than 99% of Americans.

Anglo-American crony capitalism (London - Wall Street) is viewed as corrupt and inhumane by most 21st century Europeans.

[deluk]

Not really, both Frankfurt and Paris wish that their versions of The City/Wall St were as successful.

[arvay]

thank you

[mtracy9]

Blair was the the biggest enabler of Bu$h's wars -- he is sc.um and must be reigned in.

[Macready]

He should be on trial for war crimes . . . along with bush, cheney and rumsfeld . . he is a disgrace . . Europe has to move away from US dominance particularly on its foreign policy . .. the US needs a strong force against it to keep it in line . . . . bliar sold the UK down the river . . think what he would do to the EU . . . and he sure has been a non-entity as the special Middle East Peace envoy another role he was singularly unqualified to fill . . .

[ask0]

Agreed Macready

[Klimb]

Well, guess what? Blair is senior presidential adviser to Presid. Kagame of Rwanda...i­nteresting­?!

[Wisdo]

For God's sake the ONLY person supporting blairs "bid" for presedency is Blair. I could say my "bid" for presidency in the US has suffered a "setback" too. Blair is a political non-entity. Worse than that, he is political poison for anyone standing within photo-op distance of him.

[Deluded]

Good I hate Blair always have and always will!

[EducatedObserver]

No one outside of the EU has heard of Jean-Claude Juncker or Jan-Peter Balkenende.

And so European navel-gazing continues.

[deluk]

Yes a motorcade would be wasted on these non-entitys AND they both have two christian names which is just too continental.

[jsarets]

Invalid argument. Has anyone outside of the U.S. heard of, let's say, Tim Pawlenty?

[deluk]

No! but I have now! He's the governor of Minnesota and a potential presidential candidate.

Thankyou for forcing me to broaden my horizons.

[EducatedObserver]

jsarets,

If you had paused for a nanosecond before so impetuously replying to my comment, you would have realised that you were comparing apples and oranges.

[Balzac]

You're welcome Tony. My mother was excited to see you win for the Labour Party when you were on the rise. It's a shame you had to share the same stage as George W Bush.

If ever there were a time for an Englishman to assert a superior sense of society over an American, it would have been the time for you to assert it over George W. Bush when he wanted your help to begin the bloody war in Iraq.

If an Englishman is going to be the EU president, I'd prefer Steven Fry, but he's not a politician. Gordon Brown is busy, it seems. He'd be a better choice. Tony Blair just isn't authentically British enough, is he? To get bowled over by an American such as George W Bush...

What could Tony Blair do to make things right? He was such a promising young man with a wonderful wife. Maybe Tony Blair and Bill Clinton can do a world "mea culpa" tour together with Bush Sr. Condoleeza Rice can entertain, and Colin Powell can make an appearance.

And George Tenet can make the rounds with his Medal of Freedom, Colin Powell can wear the little vial of WMD evidence as a pendant. Condoleeza playing classical piano... That would be quite a scary Halloween treat!

[nickwib]

My mother died five months before Blair was elected PM. I think the prospect contributed.

[Wisdo]

The only way to put it right id for Blair to fight Bush to the death in an area for our entertainment.

Trident for blair, gladius for Bush.

[Ralph Noyes]

And at the end, a big thumbs down for both of them.

[ask0]

fanned for Steven Fry

[aproposofnothing]

I don't why this is a surprise to him, what did he expect? no one likes a lieberman.