Teresa Heinz Kerry: John Kerry as
commander wouldn't "mistake stubbornness for strength"
By Jennifer Peter, Associated Press | July 27, 2004
BOSTON -- Teresa Heinz Kerry presented her husband to the world Tuesday as a
defender of freedom, environmental savior, and all-American patriot who
would not "mistake stubbornness for strength" as the nation's next commander
in chief.
"John is a fighter," Heinz Kerry said of her husband, a Vietnam War combat
veteran, on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. "He
earned his medals the old-fashioned way -- by putting his life on the line
for his country."
In a 20-minute speech, Heinz Kerry made a single personal reference to her
husband.
"Today, the better angels of our nature are just waiting to be summoned,"
she said, quoting from Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural speech. "We only
require a leader who is willing to call on them ... I think I've found just
the guy. I'm married to him."
Kerry watched his wife's speech from his Philadelphia hotel room, on his
last night before his arrival in Boston Wednesday.
Her speech capped a night focused on shoring up the candidate's national
security credentials.
"For him, the names of many friends inscribed in the Vietnam Memorial --
that cold stone -- testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake
stubbornness for strength," said Heinz Kerry, who married the nominee-to-be
in 1995. "In America, the true patriots are those who dare speak truth to
power."
Heinz Kerry said her husband is tested by war, but "knows the importance of
getting it right." A Navy officer, Kerry was awarded Silver Star, Bronze
Star with Combat "V" and three Purple Hearts for Vietnam War service.
Heinz Kerry made the biggest speech of her life at a time when she is
feeling the renewed glare of the campaign spotlight, after telling a
Pennsylvania reporter to "shove it" during a delegation party Sunday.
"By now I hope it will come as no surprise that I have something to say,"
she said, to a sea of "We Love Teresa" signs. "My right to speak my mind, to
have a voice, to be what some called 'opinionated,' is a right I deeply and
profoundly cherish."
Heinz Kerry earned one of her biggest applause lines when she shared her
hope that "women -- who have all earned the right to their opinions --
instead of being labeled opinionated, will be called smart or well-informed,
just as men are."
Kerry's famously blunt wife stayed in safe waters Tuesday, focusing on her
customary themes of early childhood education, affordable health care, and
the environment, all of which she has helped support through her work as
chairwoman of the Howard Heinz Endowment and the Heinz Family Philanthropies.
A first-generation American who grew up in Mozambique, Heinz Kerry spoke of
her personal journey, which brought her to university in apartheid South
African and -- ultimately -- into the heart of one of the United States'
wealthiest families.
"I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how
precious freedom is," said Heinz Kerry, who joined anti-apartheid marches. "It
is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and those who have
died defending it."
Heinz Kerry began her speech by greeting the crowd in the five languages she
can speak fluently: Spanish, French and Italian, in addition to English and
her native Portuguese, which still flavors her speech.
The 65-year-old heiress was introduced by Chris Heinz, 31, the youngest of
her three sons with GOP Sen. John Heinz III, who died in a 1991 plane crash.
"Thank you, Christopher," his mother said. "Your father would be very proud
of you and your brothers."
Heinz called his mother "a force, spirited, organic and loving" who has been
"a spouse to two wonderful men"
Heinz Kerry has been called a "loose cannon" on the campaign trail, often
speaking on issues that more typical political wives would avoid: Botox,
prenuptial agreements, the vice presidential candidate's good looks.
Conventional wisdom varies on whether voters will find Heinz Kerry's candor
refreshing or unseemly.
A recent poll found those voters evenly divided about her, if they had any
opinion at all. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found her favorable
rating at 27 percent and unfavorable at 26 percent. Nearly half of those
polled had no opinion at all.
