Indeed, though Rudd’s tenure as Australia’s prime minister was anything but smooth, his sheer force of intellect is unmatched by that of any public figure with whom I have interacted over the last 30 years. (Not that this will much help his evident willingness to be drafted as the next UN Secretary-General: in that role the major powers have always preferred bland secretaries to creative generals.)
事实上，尽管陆克文的澳大利亚总理生涯一点都不平坦，但他的过人智力是我在过去30年里打过交道的所有公共人物中首屈一指的。（这未必大大有助于他显而易见的争取成为下一任联合国秘书长的意愿：对于这个职位，主要大国永远更喜欢平庸温和的秘书，而不是有创造力的统帅。）