Stray? It ain't so: Kerry



By HELEN KENNEDY and MAGGIE HABERMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS


John Kerry with wife Teresa

Sen. John Kerry flatly denied swirling rumors about an extramarital
affair yesterday, assuring backers that his campaign was not
vulnerable to a sudden sex scandal.
"I just deny it categorically. It's rumor. It's untrue. Period," Kerry
told reporters in Wisconsin. "It's not true."

After denying the report, Kerry added, "And that's the last time I
intend to."

Earlier, on the Don Imus radio show, Kerry was asked whether
Democratic supporters should worry that his front-running campaign
could be derailed by a Clinton-style scandal.

"The answer is no," Kerry said. "I've been pretty well vetted and
examined from one side to the other."

Kerry told Imus he wasn't concerned about the unconfirmed report
sweeping the Internet that he'd had an affair with a 24-year-old
woman. The report was first published online by conservative muckraker
Matt Drudge.

"There's nothing to report. There's nothing to talk about. I'm not
worried about it," Kerry said.

The 60-year-old Massachusetts senator, who married ketchup heiress
Teresa Heinz in 1995, said he expected a tough and dirty election
battle against President Bush.

"These guys will want to try to do everything to change the subject,"
Kerry said on Imus. "But I think they're in for a surprise. I'm a
fighter, and I'm ready to fight back."

Despite his outward unconcern, Kerry's campaign was rattled by the
rumor, which first appeared Thursday and was widely discussed on
conservative talk radio.

Campaign operatives worked hard over the past two days to silence the
whispers, strenuously reminding reporters that no one was making any
clear allegations.

Nevertheless, news stories naming a young woman - and speculating that
the Democratic front-runner could soon be toast - were printed in
British, Irish, Australian and Indian newspapers.

The woman's parents were quoted in the London Sun saying their
daughter had met Kerry and that he had asked her to work on his Senate
campaign a few years ago. She declined, they said.

The father denied they had an affair, but called the senator a
"sleazeball" without explanation to the Sun.

"He's not the sort of guy I would choose to be with my daughter," the
London paper quoted the father as saying.

The Daily News tried unsuccessfully to contact the woman and her
family. The News is withholding her identity because there is no clear
evidence of any relationship between her and Kerry.

With Democrats fixated on beating Bush, the thought of nominating
someone who could be cut down by scandal sent shivers through party
ranks over the last 48 hours.

Endorsing Kerry yesterday, ex-rival retired Gen. Wesley Clark assured
Democrats, "He'll stand up to the Republican attack dogs and send them
home licking their wounds."

Drudge, who made his name by revealing that Newsweek was working on a
story linking President Clinton to a White House intern, included in
his first report the claim that some news organizations were looking
into a possible affair between Kerry and a woman.

Kerry, who was married once before, was something of a playboy after
his divorce, dating starlets Morgan Fairchild and Catherine Oxenberg.

Heinz, who has been a fixture on the campaign trail, is no shrinking
violet. She once told a writer for Elle magazine that she would
jokingly warn her first husband that if he ever strayed, "I'll maim
you. Not kill you, just maim you."

Would you moralists get off it, please.

How about getting upset at stretching the truth on the reasons for war
instead of trying to find a sex issue.

Christopher Robin wrote:

Stray? It ain't so: Kerry



By HELEN KENNEDY and MAGGIE HABERMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS


John Kerry with wife Teresa

Sen. John Kerry flatly denied swirling rumors about an extramarital
affair yesterday, assuring backers that his campaign was not
vulnerable to a sudden sex scandal.
"I just deny it categorically. It's rumor. It's untrue. Period," Kerry
told reporters in Wisconsin. "It's not true."

After denying the report, Kerry added, "And that's the last time I
intend to."

Earlier, on the Don Imus radio show, Kerry was asked whether
Democratic supporters should worry that his front-running campaign
could be derailed by a Clinton-style scandal.

"The answer is no," Kerry said. "I've been pretty well vetted and
examined from one side to the other."

Kerry told Imus he wasn't concerned about the unconfirmed report
sweeping the Internet that he'd had an affair with a 24-year-old
woman. The report was first published online by conservative muckraker
Matt Drudge.

"There's nothing to report. There's nothing to talk about. I'm not
worried about it," Kerry said.

The 60-year-old Massachusetts senator, who married ketchup heiress
Teresa Heinz in 1995, said he expected a tough and dirty election
battle against President Bush.

"These guys will want to try to do everything to change the subject,"
Kerry said on Imus. "But I think they're in for a surprise. I'm a
fighter, and I'm ready to fight back."

Despite his outward unconcern, Kerry's campaign was rattled by the
rumor, which first appeared Thursday and was widely discussed on
conservative talk radio.

Campaign operatives worked hard over the past two days to silence the
whispers, strenuously reminding reporters that no one was making any
clear allegations.

Nevertheless, news stories naming a young woman - and speculating that
the Democratic front-runner could soon be toast - were printed in
British, Irish, Australian and Indian newspapers.

The woman's parents were quoted in the London Sun saying their
daughter had met Kerry and that he had asked her to work on his Senate
campaign a few years ago. She declined, they said.

The father denied they had an affair, but called the senator a
"sleazeball" without explanation to the Sun.

"He's not the sort of guy I would choose to be with my daughter," the
London paper quoted the father as saying.

The Daily News tried unsuccessfully to contact the woman and her
family. The News is withholding her identity because there is no clear
evidence of any relationship between her and Kerry.

With Democrats fixated on beating Bush, the thought of nominating
someone who could be cut down by scandal sent shivers through party
ranks over the last 48 hours.

Endorsing Kerry yesterday, ex-rival retired Gen. Wesley Clark assured
Democrats, "He'll stand up to the Republican attack dogs and send them
home licking their wounds."

Drudge, who made his name by revealing that Newsweek was working on a
story linking President Clinton to a White House intern, included in
his first report the claim that some news organizations were looking
into a possible affair between Kerry and a woman.

Kerry, who was married once before, was something of a playboy after
his divorce, dating starlets Morgan Fairchild and Catherine Oxenberg.

Heinz, who has been a fixture on the campaign trail, is no shrinking
violet. She once told a writer for Elle magazine that she would
jokingly warn her first husband that if he ever strayed, "I'll maim
you. Not kill you, just maim you."

Jim wrote:

Would you moralists get off it, please.

How about getting upset at stretching the truth on the reasons for war
instead of trying to find a sex issue.

Christopher Robin wrote:


Robin isn't a moralist; he's an asshole. And probably isn't old enough
to vote, anyway.

With any luck, Bush will be voted out this fall and our long national
nightmare will start coming to an end.


-- Email sent to is never read.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Jim wrote:

Would you moralists get off it, please.

How about getting upset at stretching the truth on the reasons for war
instead of trying to find a sex issue.

Christopher Robin wrote:


Robin isn't a moralist; he's an asshole. And probably isn't old enough
to vote, anyway.

With any luck, Bush will be voted out this fall and our long national
nightmare will start coming to an end.


-- Email sent to is never read.

Did Kerry borrow the "Monkey Business"? What is Kerry going to do to change
the over spending? The over involvement of government in our everyday
lives?

Unfortunately we have one hell of a choice, 4 more years of what we have
had for the last 4 years, or 4 years of what we had for the 8 years
preceding. Republican bitching about not being in power. ("Clinton
Chronicles", Whitewater, filegate... and so on)

Our elections are always the choice between the lesser of evils, but
this time, both evils come from the same place.

Thank you, Republicans.

Harry Krause wrote:

Jim wrote:


Would you moralists get off it, please.

How about getting upset at stretching the truth on the reasons for war
instead of trying to find a sex issue.

Christopher Robin wrote:



Robin isn't a moralist; he's an asshole. And probably isn't old enough
to vote, anyway.

With any luck, Bush will be voted out this fall and our long national
nightmare will start coming to an end.


-- Email sent to is never read.