EUobserver

Tony Blair has renewed his campaign to become the first president of Europe and has received backing from UK leader Gordon Brown.

According to a report in the Sunday Independent, Mr Brown is prepared to back his predecessor and great political rival for the new post - foreseen under the EU's planned Lisbon Treaty - in order to have Britain holding a key role in the "new world order."

There's also US blog RightPundits drinking at the same source:

Tony Blair is EU Presidential Candidate » Right Pundits

The 53 year old Blair says he wants "to build a bridge between Europe and the new Obama administration." Blair had a close relationship with both President Bill Clinton and President G. W. Bush. Current British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is not happy that Tony Blair is the man likely to go down in history as the leader of the European Union (EU). He gave up his objections, however, recognizing that Britain should be the key figure to engineer building the "new world order." With Blair's crowning, Brown reportedly fears a re-emergence of old, familiar problems with Blair's British Labor Party. An unnamed British official said Brown "will have to swallow hard to sit down in meetings once again with Blair."

But see the Brussels blog of the Labour magazine Tribune:

Tribune » Blog Archive » Brussels Watch: Prepare for the second coming of Tony Blair

PRESIDENT Blair for Christmas, anyone? Brussels is buzzing with renewed rumours of the Middle East envoy returning closer to home. The creation of the permanent post of president of the European Council will become a reality if the Irish vote "Yes" in a re-run of their referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. But don't bet on the European Union machine not finding a way to bring the position in by the back door if the Irish fail to give the right answer in the autumn, following the hair-raising Czech stewardship of the current presidency.

While other names come and go for the president's job, Tony Blair's is the one constant. Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark is now tipped for Nato Secretary-General, while Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg seems to have fallen out of favour with his main sponsor, Nicholas Sarkozy.

Blair's case has just been strengthened by David Cameron's main EU ally - the Czech ODS, with which the Tories are forming a new non-federalist conservative group in the European Parliament.