I don't think a formal unification is going to happen anytime soon, and not in Benedict's reign. However, if and when it happens, Benedict will be the one regarded by history as getting the process seriously moving, which would be a truly great and historically important achievement.
There is a time for all things. The circumstances did not exist to move towards unity. Now there is no choice. By insisting on moving things forward with the East while the world has been skeptical, Benedict is a visionary and a great man.
For now it is enough to see a spirit of renewed cooperation and a sense of being united in Christ. Hopefully this spirit continues and will allow a future unification to occur.
One thing I've noticed is that this trip has brought the world's attention to Bartholomew I and the Patriarch. It's almost as if the world has rediscovered the fact that their is a Patriarch and the office continues to exist. I would like to see Bartholomew and future Patriarchs remain prominent on the world stage - and I say that as a Catholic. It would be a shame if he and the office slip back into relative obscurity, which is what the Turks and other Muslims would want to see.
One of the best ways to strenghten Christianity and undermine Islam is to continually broadcast to the world that, despite the oppressive atmosphere of the Turkish state and Muslim population, the Patriarch continues to thrive. Advertising this would do much to encourage the Christians and other religious minorities trying to live in the Muslim world. Therefore it is vital that the Patriarchs remain prominently visible for the world to see.
That is a very misleading impression if that's the impression received by others as well as you. There are Patriarchs and Bartholomew I is one of them.
There is no such thing as the Patriarch. Such impressions in the west, if it becomes prevalent, could cause serious problems withing the Eastern Orthodox Church community. It would be akin to someone trying to become an American Emperor or King. The American mindset is not ready for a monarchy any more than the Eastern Orthodox are ready for "papacy" of the EP.
Don't forget that the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia has 85% of the world's Orthodox under his fold, and that together with other Slavic Orthodox Churches (Patriarchates), Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc. that number if even higher.
A Patriarch is a patriarch — a presiding archbishop. Whether it is the Moscow Patriarch, the Belgrade Patriarch, the Sofia Patriarch, you name it, they are all equal. The EP is simply the sitting president of the Patriarchs' council. He is not the pope of the East.