Stopped?

Earlier in the month the Irish agreed in a referendum to EU expansion - prompting a wave of stories in the UK media about how of course this meant that war-criminal Tony Blair would be the EU's first president. Now it looks like Europe isn't so keen:

Tony Blair's hopes of becoming Europe's first sitting president were receding fast tonight as Britain admitted his chances of success were "fading" after the continent's centre-right leaders made it clear one of their own must have the post.

Hours after Gordon Brown delivered his strongest statement of support for Blair – disclosing that he had spoken to him earlier this week – British sources indicated that the former prime minister was unlikely to assume the high-profile job.

"It would be right to describe Tony's chances as fading," one British source said. "Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel are not terribly enthusiastic. Silvio Berlusconi remains his strongest backer."

"One of their own" means someone from the European People's Party grouping, the EU-wide group of national-level centre-right parties, currently dominant in Germany, France, and the European Parliament. But reading on, they make it clear that the European left doesn't want Blair either. In fact, the only people who seem to want Blair are... the UK. Who for some reason - a legacy of Imperialism? - seem to believe that the rest of Europe will just naturally conform to their whim. Fortunately, Europe doesn't work like that.

So, Blair seems to have been stopped. Is it too early to celebrate? Or do we have to wait until the stake is finally hammered into his chest?