BOSTON — The national convention to nominate John Kerry for president got a rough start Monday with a controversy over the candidate's outspoken wife Teresa Heinz Kerry telling a journalist to "shove it" after a speech promoting political civility.
Delegates to the Democratic Party's convention arrived at the Fleet Center buzzing about television news accounts of Heinz Kerry's dispute with the editorial page editor of a newspaper in her hometown of Pittsburgh.
The soon-to-be Democratic presidential nominee, campaigning in Florida as a prelude to his acceptance of the nomination Thursday, defended his wife, telling reporters, "My wife speaks her mind appropriately."
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York also defended Heinz Kerry, commenting on CNN: "A lot of Americans are going to say, 'Good for you, you go, girl,' and that's certainly how I feel about it."
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Ed Gillespie, who is in Boston to the Democrats during their convention, declined to get into a conversation about Heinz Kerry's remarks. "She is a very spirited campaigner, we'll leave it at that," he said.
It was just weeks ago that Dick Cheney, the Republican vice president, created a similar controversy with vulgar remarks directed at Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, on the Senate floor.
Teresa Heinz Kerry, was caught by television cameras in a dispute with a journalist at a reception Sunday night. The incident occurred shortly after the philanthropist and heir to the Heinz family food fortune, told convention delegates from her home state of Pennsylvania that there need to be a change in tone in American politics.
"We have to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics," she said. Morning television shows broadcast the remarks.
When the editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review pressed Heinz Kerry what she had meant by "un-American" she said repeatedly, "No, I didn't say that, I didn't say that."
She then turned away only to return moments later. "You said something I didn't say, now shove it," she said, pointing her finger at the reporter.
Asked about Heinz Kerry's comments, her spokeswoman Marla Romash said: "It was a moment of extreme frustration aimed at a right wing rag that has consistently and almost purposefully misrepresented the facts when reporting on Mrs. Heinz Kerry."
Mary Beth Cahill, Kerry's presidential campaign manager, told reporters Monday that the candidate's wife is a tremendous political asset and an important partner to the senator. And in denying any effort by the campaign staff to control Heinz Kerry, Cahill said, "There are things you can do and things you can't do."
Opinion was mixed among delegates on the convention floor.
"I admire Teresa Heinz Kerry because it's time people strike back when they are misquoted," said Georgia delegate Barbara A. Sims, 52, of Athens, Ga. "We keep getting told that Democrats don't fight back. Well she fought back. Good for her. I love it."
Fellow Georgia delegate Deana Womack, 64, from Marietta agreed: "She does so many good things for people and to pick on her is not right."
But Ohio delegate Andrea Norris, of Akron, was concerned.
"When you're in public life, you have got to learn to control emotions," she said.
She said Hillary Clinton jumped to Heinz Kerry's defense because "it's something Hillary wanted to say herself 12 million times."
Contributing: Moni Basu.