Kerry wife's anti-Democrat quotes unearthed

The wife of Senator John Kerry said the Demorcratic his party had “putrid” politics and that some of its senior members were untrustworthy, according to a book unearthed today.

Teresa Heinz Kerry will deliver a speech to the pre-election Democratic National Convention in Boston tonight, urging people to back her husband, Sen. John Kerry, for the White House.

But hours before the speech, the Boston Herald reprinted sections of a little-known book she contributed to in 1975.

Mrs Heinz Kerry, millionaire heir to the Heinz food empire, already made headlines when she clashed with a journalist on day one of the convention, telling him to “shove it”.

In the book called The Power Lovers: An Intimate Look At Politicians And Their Marriages, Mrs Heinz Kerry said senior Democrat Edward Kennedy, with whom she will share the stage tonight, was a “perfect bastard”.

She went on: “The Democratic machine in this country is putrid.”

At the time Mrs Heinz Kerry, who was raised in Africa and educated in Switzerland, was married to Republican Senator John Heinz. He was killed in a plane crash in 1991.

Mr Kennedy’s office dismissed the comments as “irrelevant”, saying that he and Mrs Heinz Kerry now share mutual admiration.

“A 30-year-old quote dug up by the Republican attack machine made long before they became friends is irrelevant,” a party source said.

A spokeswoman for Mrs Heinz Kerry added: “You are talking about statements that are more than 30 years old. A lot has changed since then.”

Mrs Heinz Kerry and her fiery personality are the subject of close scrutiny during the convention, where her husband, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, will be officially named as the Democrat to challenge US President George Bush for the White House on November 2.

Her clash with an editor from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review made headlines on the first day of the convention.

“You said something I didn’t say. Now shove it,” she told him, before storming off.

She later defended her actions, saying she felt “trapped and misrepresented” by the journalist.

Meanwhile another speaker of note on day two of the convention will be Ron Reagan, son of the former Republican President Ronald Reagan.

The appearance of the son of a Republican leader at the Democratic convention has raised eyebrows.

But Mr Reagan is expected to use the platform to call for an end to the ban on stem cell research.

The procedure, which is controversial because it involves taking cells from aborted or miscarried foetuses, could help find cures for diseases, including Alzheimer’s, which afflicted former President Reagan before his death last month.

The ex-leader’s son has been a critic of the current administration, suggesting during a speech at his father’s funeral that US President Bush appeared to lead America with a mandate from God.

On the first day of the convention, delegates went wild for America’s most famous political couple, Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Both received standing ovations as they lauded Sen. Kerry, urging voters to select him over Mr Bush.

Former US president Jimmy Carter and Mr Clinton’s former Vice-President Al Gore also spoke.

Among the main criticisms raised included the way Mr Bush responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and over the war in Iraq.

The convention has prompted a massive security operation in Boston, amid fears that al-Qaida terrorists may try to disrupt the election.

Protesters are confined to a caged-off area, while security cameras have been installed across the city.

Snipers have been seen on roofs surrounding the venue – the Fleet Centre – as coastguards patrol Boston Harbour.

Manholes have been welded shut and post boxes and litter bins removed.

The main road through the city is closed during convention hours and city workers have been told to stay at home for the week.

The overall security operation is estimated to be costing more than €50m.

The Republican Party’s convention will open in New York at the end of August.