John Kerry, hypocrite

Remember how Kerry is running against special interests and the little guy? When federal lawmakers "could be paid for speaking to outside groups," Kerry collected more than $120K in fees "from interests as diverse as big oil, tobacco, the liquor lobby and unions." Between '85 and '90, Kerry "pocketed annual amounts slightly under the limits for speaking fees set by Congress," and "unlike many colleagues, he donated a speaking fee to charity only once." This coming from a man who is worth millions.

Metalbanc paid Kerry $1K for speaking in '87 and was later indicted on charges "it helped the Cali drug cartel in Colombia launder money" in the U.S. When he spoke, Kerry was chair of the Senate subcmte that investigated drug trafficking and money laundering. On the trail, he "sharply criticizes special interest money and big oil companies," but he "earned handsomely from some of Washington's most famous lobbies as well as corporate America." NAM spokesperson Laura Brown Narvaiz: "It certainly didn't seem to influence his voting record. I don't think he voted in favor of our positions very many times" (Solomon/Khumar, AP, 2/9).

His opponents, according to Howard Fineman "will undoubtedly focus on family financial transactions. One such deal involves the conversion and sale in 2002 of up to a million dollars of stock in Ingersoll-Rand." The sale, "netting" from $100K to $200K, of a company whose "balance sheet was boosted by its decision to move its headquarters offshore to Bermuda." One of Kerry's "best applause lines is his pledge to end tax breaks for what he calls 'Benedict Arnold' firms that move offshore." Kerry spokesperson Michael Meehan said the sale was made by professional mgrs of Teresa Heinz Kerry's trust and Kerry "wasn't even aware of it" (Fineman/Isikoff, Newsweek, 2/16 issue).