A Triumph of Images (Noonan)

The Kerry-Edwards rollout has been almost flawless, a triumph of image that obscured uncomfortable realities. The two senators are not, as the Boston Herald merrily front-paged yesterday morning, "THEY'RE LEFT OF TED!" They are the son of a mill worker and the husband of an 'umble immigrant.

Wednesday morning's unveiling of the Kerry and Edwards clans at the leafy Heinz compound in what looked like exurban Pennsylvania, but which they repeatedly referred to as "Pittsburgh," was a handsome Kennedyesque photo-op in which Mr. Kerry's elder daughter--long, blond ponytail, lithe and chic--seemed to play the part of the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and tall, dark-haired Chris Heinz seemed like the late John Jr. The Edwardses' towheaded children looked like John-John and Caroline when they lived in the White House. It was all very glamorous in a way that Democrats like (Hyde Park, Hyannis, Clinton in Hollywood--we like big houses and boats, we have a secret weakness for wealth!) and Republicans don't (We're clearing brush here, get out of the way! We sleep in two twin beds held together at the posts by old rubber bands!) Teresa Heinz had the best line of the day: "Pittsburgh taught me to be an American."

>>By the way, I continue to be impressed by how Mr. Kerry plays Vietnam. He served four months in Vietnam, and everyone thinks it was years. It's like a guy showing up on the History Channel talking about the Pacific war, and breaking into tears as he remembers the bombardment. Gray head, sagging face, old aviator glasses. And then the interviewer says "Tell us how long you were there?" And the old guy chirps, "Oh, four months! Scratched my arm, got my ticket punched, and got out of Dodge!" If Mr. Kerry had not led with his weakness--if he had not boldly gone forth from day one presenting his candidacy as one of a Vietnam hero--the whole subject would at this point in the campaign be not a theme but an embarrassment<<

In my oponion-- the best paragraph of the whole article.

"I continue to wonder why an accomplished athlete like Mr. Kerry handles his body with such unease. He never seems to know what to do with his arms and hands. They fly away from him. His physical actions do not seem coordinated with his expression, with what his face is doing and his eyes are seeing."

Just like you, Peggy noticed how Kerry's gestures don't match up with what he's saying. Sure sign of a phoney, if you ask me.

And I love her observation about that silly fake point. The funniest fake point I remember was all three Clintons in a family group hug looking up at fireworks, and Bill Clinton was pointing up....just in case Hillary and Chelsea didn't know where those big booms were coming from. (Laughing out loud as I remember how stupid that looked!)

(A little off-topic but I have to share...Only freepers would understand) Yesterday I was forced to walk down Hollywood Blvd. on my way to a car dealer. Near Hollywood and Vine there was a long line outside a theater with tons of news media present. As I got closer I realized that this was a Kerry fundraiser for with his daughter as the main event. There were all these squeaky clean, orderly 18-20 types all dressed in Kerry gear, clearly thrilled to be even remotely close Kerry's daughter (And it wasn't even the see-thru Cannes daughter). The whole thing was very, very creepy and depressing!

"... he has taken to pointing. When he goes on stage he looks out at the audience and then makes a face as if he's surprised to see a friend standing over there to the right, and another over there to the left. He lurchily points at them with his long arm. Sometimes he gives them a thumbs up. Sometimes it ends with a finger flutter.

"He does this because Bill Clinton did it. Mr. Clinton did it because someone told him that pointing in a commanding way while the cameras click makes him look like a leader. It also makes him look as if he has friends in the audience. I used to go to Mr. Clinton speeches and watch him point. I'd swing my head around to see who he was pointing at. He was never pointing at anyone. No one knew who he was pointing at. They always thought it was the guy behind him or the girl over there. But they liked it. Anyway, the Point is a perfect Time/Newsweek cover, and often has been.

"I remain impressed by Teresa Heinz Kerry's palpable boredom and disinterest in playing the part of Mr. Kerry's wife. Tuesday, when Mr. Kerry first came out and started to do the pointing-at-my-friends-in-the-crowd thing, he took her hand and whispered in her ear something like, "There's Bob Smith." Meaning, "I want you to look with me at Bob and smile." She couldn't hear him and shook her head, twice. Then finally when she heard him she smiled wanly as if to say, So what? She stifled a yawn on stage too. I love her.

"By the way, Republicans tend not to point at the crowd in this way. They wave. I think it's because their mothers taught them pointing is rude. Someday, in 2008 or 2012, there will, however, be a Republican pointer. And we will know history has truly changed. Because that man's mother will not have taught him that pointing is rude, for she was working 18 hours a day in a law firm, and forgot."

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Pointing does not play well to a TV camera. It comes across as an aggressive action. I hope he keeps doing it.

I love Peggy's dig that Republican's don't point because their mothers taught them that it is rude!

BTW, I think Terayza was actually trying to 'see' Bob Smith and she was not wearing her glasses, so she looked very foolish to the camera lens.

Laura Bush would never have been put in that embarrassing position by her husband, because he IS a gentleman in every ounce of his body.

Thanks, and by the way. I've been meaning to say:

I was wrong. I really thought Kerry would pick Gebhardt. Imagine that! I really thought Kerry would pick the most experienced, most qualified Vice President. How dumb was that?

Consider this: Kerry's VP choice was based on who would most likely help him win the election, not who was best for America. And that's the line of attack I think the Republicans should zero in on.

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