Was Nicolas Sarkozy's Model Right for an E.U. President?
Filling the vacuum left by the exhausted Bush administration and frequently overstepping his nominal authority, Mr. Sarkozy brokered the cease-fire between Georgia and Russia, presided over Europe's unusually quick and coherent response to the financial crisis and, at a final summit last month, pushed the union to adopt an aggressive plan for reducing carbon emissions.
"Bold" and "brilliant" are among the adjectives being heaped on Mr. Sarkozy by European diplomats and pundits -- especially those of the French persuasion -- who have long dreamed of a European Union president who could meet his U.S., Russian and Chinese counterparts on more or less equal terms. Not coincidentally Mr. Sarkozy has been leading the push for the ratification of a new E.U. treaty that would end the six-month rotation in favor of an elected president with a 2 1/2 -year term. He's demonstrated that a capable and strong-willed politician in that job could have a greater impact than national European leaders acting separately.
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