Is there a Connection Between Jesus and Vespatian?

The Roman emperor Vespatian is often offered as some one who who Christians modeled Jesus after. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian lived November 17, 9AD – June 23, 79AD, reigned from 69 AD until his death in 79 AD. They say this because of one obscure reference in Tacitus' book The Histories:

At Alexandria a commoner, whose eyes were well known to have wasted away ...fell at Vespasian's feet demanding with sobs a cure for his blindness, and imploring that the Emperor would deign to moisten his eyes and eyeballs with the spittle from his mouth.
... Vespasian .... did as the men desired him. Immediately the hand recovered its functions and daylight shone once more in the blind man's eyes. Those who were present still attest both miracles today, when there is nothing to gain by lying.
Tacitus, The Histories, 4.81

Apparently Vespasianus cured a man of blindness by rubbing his spit in the man's eyes. Critics say "see, Chrisitans say Jesus did it because this guy did it." Before I go on, I don't want to downplay Vespatian at all. He is an important figure.

1. He started a new dynasty of Roman emperors
2. It was he that put down the Jewish Revolt and inadvertently insuring that Josephus would write and publish his works.

However, I would not put any stock into Vespatian performing miracles because Tacitus wrote his account about 30 years after the emperor died. Also Christians have been recounting Jesus' miracles before Vespatian ever took power. Remember some scholars date Mark to the 40's AD. There is no evidence of Jesus performing the miracle of healing the blind with his spit as being later than Vespatian. If anything I think the borrowing was from the other way around.

Vespatian
Athiest Watch: Answering Jesus Myth Arguments