Now that the European Constitution, sorry, the Treaty of Lisbon is slowly becoming a reality. The guessing contest on who will be the so called ‘President of Europe’ is in full swing. Given Obama got the Nobel Peace gong, some argue that the Europeans want him to be The Chosen One on this side of the Atlantic. “Lacking any strong, compelling voices of their own, the Europeans are now trying to hijack our president as their spokesman.” Ummm…No thanks. But who are the so-called real contenders?

Annie Lowrey in Foreign Policy has a set of criteria for the ultimate reality show, European Idol:

“First, the president should be, well, boring — like Brussels itself. Politicians have knocked down candidates for being too controversial or too outspoken. Second, he should likely hold center-right or Christian Democratic political tendencies, given that Europe itself is headed that direction. Third, he should come from a country that uses the euro — showing full fealty to the concept of the union. Fourth, he should come from a small European country — anything other than Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, which normally dominate the union’s affairs. Finally, two wild-card characteristics: He should ideally speak French and have opposed the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq — if not at the time, then soon afterward.”

Interesting criteria. I would add that He (or She) should also speak German. Remember the EU exists to prevent another Franco-Prussian war. Right? Forgetting that fact that I am not European, lets see how I would stand up to this criteria: Boring: depends on who you ask. Centre-Right: depends on the issue. Euro-user: By default yes. Small Country: Yes, but The Netherlands is a great one. Speaks French: You kidding? Anti-war: Name means supreme peace doesn’t it? Ummm, rather be Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia if you ask me.

Image Source: European Idol, Foreign Policy, 9 October 2009