Kerry feels the pressure
2004-10-21 20:53
New York - Democrat John Kerry says running for the White House has involved an intrusiveness "beyond description," with personal attacks on his character that he accuses the media of treating as entertainment.
His remarks came in an interview in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, in which Kerry offered a frank insight into the personal and physical toll that months of campaigning takes on a US presidential candidate.
"The intrusiveness is greater than I ever thought it would be," the 60-year-old senator from Massachusetts said.
"There are parts of me that dislike that more than I thought I would, but it's something I have to put up with in order to achieve what I want to get done," he said.
"I always knew there'd be tough moments and I'd be tested ... But I think the intensity of it is greater than I could imagine. It is, actually, beyond description. You have to experience it to know what that is."
With less than two weeks to go before election day, Kerry also spoke of the draining experience of months spent on the road and the accompanying disruption of eating and sleeping patterns.
Not getting enough exercise
"I'm in the worst shape I've been in a few years. I'm not getting enough exercise," admitted the senator, who has a passion for extreme sports.
At the same time, he said he felt "energised" by the campaign, describing the opportunity to take his political message to the country as "a liberating experience."
The 2004 White House race has been an especially divisive and bitterly fought campaign, with television attack ads from both sides challenging the competence and honesty of both Kerry and the incumbent, President George W Bush.
One of the more talked about examples that targetted Kerry involved a group of Vietnam veterans who questioned the veracity of his wartime record, suggesting the acts of bravery for which he was decorated had been exaggerated.
Kerry told Rolling Stone that he had reacted to the ads with a sense of "bitter disappointment ... that people will stoop to those depths of lying, for their personal reasons."