TIME Slights Kofi

There's a not-too-subtle effort in the media to position Kofi Annan as "out," and his chief deputy, Mark Malloch Brown, as in. It showed up as Time listed the latter as one of the 100 most influencial people in the world, but slighted Kofi.

The UN Press Corps picked up on it, from yesterday's briefing:

Question: Mr. Mark Malloch Brown has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. You probably saw that. How much of an influence does he have in the United Nations at this point in time? It seems that he is calling all the shots. Is that... (Interrupted)?

Associate Spokesman: Wrong. He is the Chef de Cabinet to the Secretary-General, who remains very active.

Question: He is more influential than the Secretary-General himself?

Associate Spokesman: No. Within the United Nations, he is the Chef de Cabinet and the Secretary-General is the Secretary-General.