Kerry's wife takes on Bush fan

2004-08-03 10:29

Milwaukee - Teresa Heinz Kerry, the outspoken wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, told a rally exactly what she thinks of the prospect of a second Bush term.

With a Bush supporter chanting "Four more years! Four more years!" through a bullhorn from the back of a park, the candidate's wife stopped herself to respond. "They want four more years of hell," Heinz Kerry said.

The pro-Kerry crowd erupted in applause at the Monday evening rally and began its own chant: "Three more months! Three more months."

Heinz Kerry quieted the audience so she could continue her remarks, which touched on her life, her husband and the importance of getting involved in political causes.

Kerry gave her a long hug and a big smile when she finished.

"She speaks her mind, and she speaks the truth, and she's pretty quick on her feet, too," Kerry said.

The Bush supporter didn't back down.

"Bush, Cheney! Bush, Cheney!" he said as Kerry started to speak.

At nearly every stop during the first days of Kerry's coast-to-coast tour, the candidate has praised his wife's tendency to speak her mind.

Last week, during the Democratic nominating convention in Boston, she told a persistent reporter to "shove it" and to stop misquoting her when he repeatedly asked her to expand on her call for more civility in politics.

- AP