The Secretary General and the "overgrown schoolboy"

Why would United Nations' Secretary General Kofi Annan lash out at a reporter, calling him an "overgrown school boy?"

Because the reporter was asking about the mysterious purchase of a Mercedes-Benz by Annan's son with the use of Annan's name to secure some UN sweetheart "money savers" on the purchase.

According to one press report:

Mr Annan ... lashed out at James Bone, a respected UN correspondent for The Times.

Bone had tried to ask the Secretary-General a question about the whereabouts of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle bought by Mr Annan's son Kojo and shipped to Ghana with the benefit of UN tax exemptions.

But an angry Mr Annan accused Bone of behaving like an "overgrown schoolboy". He then questioned the reporter's professional standards and, as he has done for months, refused to address the issue of the mysterious Mercedes.

"You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession," Mr Annan told Bone. "Please stop misbehaving, and please let's move on to a more serious subject."

Mr Annan's tirade came just minutes after he said a thick skin and a sense of humor were essential character traits for any future secretary-general.

I can't wait to see how the New York Times, Washington Post and other liberal news organizations report this story.

And what will liberal and further left pundits say about this latest from one of their favorite world leaders?

Stay tuned.