The former British prime minister took a hit after France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel agreed over dinner at the Élysée Palace (oh to be a fly on that wall) that the first president of the European Council ought to be more of a right-winger.

Regardless, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, a conservative, reportedly wants Blair to get the job. Must be all that elbow-rubbing the two did over the Iraq War.

Blair is currently the official envoy of the so-called Middle East Quartet, representing the U.S., U.N., EU and Russia. He’s flown under the radar in that role, taking a back seat to the Obama administration and its efforts to rekindle the peace process. — PZS

The Guardian:

Sarkozy, the French president, and Merkel, the German chancellor, are understood to have agreed at a dinner at the Elysée Palace last night that the new president should be appointed from the main centre-right EPP grouping, which brings together the parties currently ruling most EU countries.

Brown gave a hint at a press conference that Blair’s candidacy was fading when he qualified his strong backing for his predecessor by stating that there were also other candidates for the job. “Of course it may not happen and there are other candidates as well,” he said.

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