By David Barwick – FRANKFURT (Econostream) – European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde may have spoken off the cuff when she described Klaas Knot as fully qualified to succeed her, but her words carry political weight that will not go unnoticed in euro area circles: her assessment of the former De Nederlandsche Bank chief as someone who “could, absolutely” lead the ECB is as close as an incumbent can come to signaling approval in such a politically charged context.