LOS ANGELES -- I do not much mind being misquoted, especially in a good cause. That cause is the worthy candidacy of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon, who is fighting for the job of U.N. secretary general. The incumbent, Kofi Annan, is finishing out his second term and must vacate later this year.
A recent column of mine lauding Ban has been widely quoted -- in Seoul, especially -- as claiming that the column actually endorsed Ban for the job.
This is not completely accurate. The column simply said what everyone in the international diplomatic community knows to be true: that of the handful of openly declared and actively running candidates to take on the thankless top U.N. job, Ban was arguably the most qualified, possibly the most liked, and certainly the most driven.