January 27, 2004
FAB FIVE FIX-UP?:
Kerry hit on cosmetic issue (Lloyd Grove, 1/27/04, NY Post)
The down and dirty New Hampshire primary ends tonight - not a moment too soon for front-runner John Kerry.Since the Massachusetts senator's Iowa victory last week, operatives for rival Democratic campaigns have been insinuating that Kerry is getting Botox injections, paralyzing the muscles that produce worry lines.
Yesterday - the same day I received such a call from a hardened spin doctor versed in the black arts of negative campaigning - Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter told me she has been busy denying the rumor for the past week.
"Have you looked at him?" Cutter demanded, referring to her creased, droopy-eyed candidate. "He looks like a 60-year-old man who has been working too hard running for President, with little time for sleep and no time to worry about what he looks like."
The Botox attack apparently wasn't dismissed from the get-go because Kerry's 65-year-old wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, openly touts her regular use of the wrinkle-fighting treatments. The Chicago Tribune put the rumor into public circulation with a story last week, and the Boston Herald followed up with a Sunday editorial noting that "Kerry does look a darn bit shinier than usual."
It definitely looks like he had something done around his eyes. Posted by Orrin Judd at January 27, 2004 12:15 PM
Does anyone know what the Heinz Foundation that Teresa's chairs is known for donates to? Is it kooky stuff or mainstream charities?
Posted by: Matt C at January 27, 2004 12:46 PMConsidering how Reagan's alleged use of hair dye was considered a scandal by Democrats during the entire course of his campaign and all eight years of his administration, it will be interesting to see how the media handles this latest cosemetic alteration rumor.
Posted by: John at January 27, 2004 2:26 PM