'If you choose a new pope, you should pick a Catholic,' Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian premier, said as he urged leaders to pick a candidate with strong European credentials. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy might well back Van Rompuy, a relatively obscure figure unlikely to threaten their grip on Brussels. But others, among them Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, argue that leaders should instead push for 'strong personalities' capable of giving the EU a strong voice on the world stage.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy might well back Van Rompuy, a relatively obscure figure unlikely to threaten their grip on Brussels.
But others, among them Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, argue that leaders should instead push for 'strong personalities' capable of giving the EU a strong voice on the world stage.
this kind of language is sounding century archaic.
we need wisdom and circumspection, not stature as they see it, a mixture of self-importance and delusions of eurograndeur, an ability to hold a rictus smile while gliding around cocktail parties and shaking paws with the hoighty-toighty.
europe needs to continue with soft power, think obama without the exceptionalist streak.
give it to mary already, make us all proud! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
