Annan Deputy Goes Ballistic Over Soros Article

Ever wonder why the East River Debating and Terrorist Cheerleading Society gets such indulgent treatment in the media? Here's an example of what happens on the rare occasion when a UN reporter gets tough.

Last week, Benny Avni of the New York Sun broke the story of how Kofi Annan's chief of staff Mark Malloch Brown (shown on the left after a festive day at the office) has a stinks-to-high-heaven landlord-tenant arrangement with George Soros. Brown makes $125,000 a year and the rent he supposedly pays to his buddy Soros, though still below market (he pays less than another tenant paid in 2001), is $120,000.

Supposedly he pays for his rent from "savings." Yeah, right. And I'm Santa Claus.

The Sun has been the only mainstream media outlet to cover this story, needless to say. It wasn't picked up by the wire services at the UN or, naturally, the New York Times or any of the other hacks who comprise the spineless UN press corps. NewsMax ran an item on its website, but that was about it.

According to a transcript of the daily UN press briefing yesterday, available online, Brown went ballistic over the New York Sun's effrontery. Asked about his links with Soros, Brown launched into a rant about what a non-story it was and demanded to know the identity of the leaker before answering any further questions:

"So my challenge to you, James, and to Benny, is who gave you this story? What was their motive? What is it that now gives free rein to any amount of bile, unproven but still publishable, with no questioning of the motives of those who provided it? Perhaps when you are ready to answer that question, I'll be ready to answer a few more." He went on to duck and weave and growl in response to follow-up questions from a single reporter. The rest of the hacks just sat there, trembling, upset that one of their number had dared to em