Days after accepting job with bank, Blair launches EU presidency campaign

Obviously conflict of interest has no meaning in Brussels either. Blair has a new friend in Sarkozy, who will have considerable leverage in choosing the new EU president later this year. With his own share of problems at home (lack of direction, circus-like atmosphere, cabinet re-shuffle talk, soap opera/magazine cover personal lifestyle) Sarkozy may not even care if it helps distract people from domestic issues, which remain without direction. Anything that can take the political spotlight away would suit him just fine. As long as the magazine covers remain, it's fine.

Blair ought to be thrilled with the idea, since the position is questionable in terms of actual power, yet it provides him with a microphone and TV cameras to help promote himself even more. Perhaps he can even whip up a new $1m consulting gig while he's at it. Whether he will be as successful in this mission as he was with bringing peace to the Middle East doesn't even matter, because who really cares what the EU president or parliament does? No one even knows who they are, which is precisely the kind of system that the European ruling class prefers, Blair included. No questions asked, no democracy, no matter.