Overheard at the Chinese Finance Ministry

"With the IMF head in ignominy,
His replacement is just what I wanna be,
Since, with all due regard
To Madame Lagarde,
We're the world's up-and-coming economy."

Now that Dominique Strauss-Kahn has resigned in disgrace as head of the International Monetary Fund, his countrywoman, French finance minister Christine Lagarde, has moved into the spotlight as the European favorite for a position traditionally held by an Old World banker. However, China and India have seized on this moment to challenge the tradition and assert their growing weight in global business and financial affairs.  Notwithstanding the Greek debt crisis, the calls for an emerging market successor to DSK are growing.