# Say it ain't so, Kerry. Not another intern! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 12, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876 "2004-02-12T16:56:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/1 "2004-02-12T16:56:53Z")
Matt Drudge is reporting that Kerry’s campaign is soon to be rocked by accusations of infidelity with an intern. [http://www.drudgereport.com/](http://www.drudgereport.com/) Tho I really don’t care who my elected officials are doing what to, I would be really disappointed if he were stupid enough to fuck an intern given very recent history. Of course, whether or not anything happened, all that matters is that he be honest about it, right? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/2 "2004-02-12T17:04:36Z")
Great, another idiotic sex scandal to make the US look like a bunch of Victorian-era prudes. But there was a funny sentence in the article: "Intrigue surrounds a woman who recently fled the country, reportedly at the prodding of Kerry, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. " Heh heh. “at the prodding of Kerry”. No matter what happens, this shit is a gold mine for humor. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/3 "2004-02-12T17:06:51Z")
You all knew this was coming, didn’t you? Especially after Scott McClellan’s reference to “gutter politics” yesterday. I have every confidence that the American voting public will take a careful look at the serious issues that face the country today, and overlook such indiscretions as personal, not political. Ah, fuck it, what am I saying? Kerry, if this is true, WTF were you thinking? Looks like **Bricker** might be up a few single malts. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/4 "2004-02-12T17:12:29Z")
I never read Drudge, so I don’t know what his hit/miss ration is. But isn’t he the guy who first broke the Monica scandal? Anyway, I’ll wait for this to hit the mainstream media. But even then, it sounds like there is enough deniability here even if it turns out to have an element of truth. I’m just basing my comments on postings to this thread so far, as I was unable to open the Drudge link. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/5 "2004-02-12T17:27:21Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I never read Drudge, so I don’t know what his hit/miss ration is. But isn’t he the guy who first broke the Monica scandal? Some ugly symmetry for me: The way I first heard of Lewinsky was a rabid Repub cow-orker sent me a link to a Drudge report. This a.m., the same cow-orker sent me a link to a Drudge report… SHIT! Of course, Drudge had Saddam dead… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/6 "2004-02-12T17:33:31Z")
What I liked about the Drudge link was that there was more headline than story! Is that the journalistic equivalent of “all hat and no cattle”? Anyway, a few possible outcomes: 1. The whole business will turn out to be false, but Drudge is leaping into action before the story’s been checked far enough to tell. 2. It’ll turn out to be unclear what actually happened between Kerry and this woman, and as a result, there will be no story. 3. Whatever happened, happened when Kerry was in between marriages. America will hit the snooze button. 4. It’ll turn out that Kerry slept with the woman since he last got married, and few will care. Or 1. It’ll turn out that Kerry slept with the woman since he last got married, and enough people will care that Edwards emerges as the frontrunner for the nomination. #5 is the worst-case scenario, and it’s not exactly bad. Now, back to whether Bush will keep his promise about his military records, and what his problem might be. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/7 "2004-02-12T17:39:11Z")
I saw this on Sludge a while ago, but its only his revolving siren light with no link to anything. So I was indeed curious. As to Sludge’s hit/miss ration, most of his stuff is direct links to other news sources, so that’s a wash. It does seem that the preponderance of his “exclusives” turn out to to be crapola. I was expecting something about Jane Fonda, myself. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/8 "2004-02-12T17:57:32Z")
Worst case scenario- Kerry denies the allegations and they are proven true _after_ winning the nomination. Heaven help us if a sex scandal keeps a misfit in office. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/9 "2004-02-12T18:07:04Z")
There is a big set of scales in Kerry’s head. On one side, Leader of the Free World, most powerful man on earth, the chance to undo the harm that has been wrought both domestically and internationally in the past 3 years, the chance to help people, the chance to reduce the deficit again. And on the other side… Pussy. I know which one I’d choose. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrTuffPaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/10 "2004-02-12T18:23:30Z")
Okay, I could see Clinton getting into something like he did. After all, he was what I would consider cute. Kerry on the other hand, fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. If true, I hope that poor girl turned out the lights. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/11 "2004-02-12T18:42:50Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > You all knew this was coming, didn’t you? Especially after Scott McClellan’s reference to “gutter politics” yesterday. Is Scott McClellan now Wesley Clark’s press secretary? I only ask because according to the article, it was Clark, not Bush, who gave Kerry up to the reporters. Not that that would stop you from pinning it on Bush, after all, he’s responsible for everything. If this turns out to be true I wouldn’t be surprised to find out from you guys that Bush not only made Kerry do it, but he guided Kerry’s johnson into the chick against his will, with Kerry kicking and screaming all the while. Get a grip. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/12 "2004-02-12T18:44:59Z")
> [@MrTuffPaws](#): > > Kerry on the other hand, fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Sure doesn’t seem to hurt his ability to attract rich wives! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/13 "2004-02-12T18:53:06Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > Is Scott McClellan now Wesley Clark’s press secretary? I only ask because according to the article, it was Clark, not Bush, who gave Kerry up to the reporters. Apparently the media have been looking into this for a while now. It was a well known secret in Demo circles. According to Drudge, it was one of her friends who first told the press. I first heard about this on Rush’s show when I was on my way back from an appointment this morning. Rush said that Bill Clinton was behind the story breaking so that GW would win the election and Hillary could run in '08. Haj ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/14 "2004-02-12T18:55:07Z")
Of course, even if the allegations prove to be false, you can bet good money the Republicans will keep dragging it up every opportunity they can. After all, “the Clintons killed Vince Foster and covered it up” still gets some traction, even after all these years; how hard would it be to keep the “John Kerry diddled an intern” bullstuff rolling for nine months? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/15 "2004-02-12T18:56:40Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Sure doesn’t seem to hurt his ability to attract rich wives! Did his first wife have money? Actually, this is about the only way this could hurt him. **If** this turns out to be true, and happened after he married Mrs. Ketchup, and she didn’t know about it, it is possible that the Heinz 57 money stream may dry up. I understand she wasn’t real happy when he decided to go for the White House. **If** this is how it goes down, she may either dump him, or yank the purse strings to keep him home and off panty patrol. I guess we’ll see, both **if** this is true, and **if** the mainstream media can’t ignore it. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/16 "2004-02-12T18:58:07Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > Get a grip. Oh, I don’t blame Bush at all for this. I just sensed…something…was in the air when McClellan said that. If Drudge is to be believed, a lot of people in Washington knew, not just Clark knew–Dean’s campaign allegedly knew too. It’s hard to believe that someone in the RNC didn’t know, too. It just seems like in every campaign I’ve ever seen, no matter for what office, what country or who makes the first accusation, the first cry of “this is gutter politics” always immediately precedes the first serious mudslinging. And I’d abhor these same kinds of charges against Bush or Cheney or any other leading GOP-ite. This is a sensationalist non-issue. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/17 "2004-02-12T19:03:10Z")
It’s [bullshit](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/2/6/93007.shtml). Well, pretty much anyway. It was between marriages. > [@](#): > > Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said Thursday that reports indicating that John Kerry’s first marriage to heiress Julia Thorne had collapsed amidst allegations of infidelity should not become an issue in this year’s presidential campaign. > > “After his separation and before his marriage [to heiress Teresa Heinz], he was single, so stories might emerge from that era, but I don’t think that will cause him any trouble,” Brinkley told radio host Don Imus. > > \ > > The London Times suggested last weekend that Kerry may have had a relationship with a female law partner before he divorced Thorne, though Kerry was separated from his wife at that time. > > “He separated from his first wife Julia Thorne in 1982, though the divorce was not finalised until 1988,” the Times said. If this is what it’s about, it’s nothing. Kerry was still technically married to his first wife but was separated. This is all sizzle and no steak. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/18 "2004-02-12T19:03:23Z")
Drudge is now saying this predated Gore’s selection of running partner in 2000. Says Kerry has long expected to have to deal with this eventually. Speaking as a Democrat, it will be very disappointing to find out a fellow Dem released this. _(If it was, in fact, Clark, it will qustion the legitimacy of his Dem credentials in my mind.)_ At some point, I hope the Dem party realizes the importance of working together to defeat Bush, instead of shooting themselves in the foot over internecine infighting. I really find it quite interesting how the electorate can view a single person - the president - so differently. 4+ years ago I could not understand the vehement anti-Clinton animus. Similarly, at this time a great many Republicans cannot imagine why I consider Bush a dangerous man. ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/19 "2004-02-12T19:08:11Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Did his first wife have money? Yes. Her name is Julia Thorne. > [@](#): > > If this turns out to be true, and happened after he married Mrs. Ketchup, and she didn’t know about it, it is possible that the Heinz 57 money stream may dry up. I understand she wasn’t real happy when he decided to go for the White House. If this is how it goes down, she may either dump him, or yank the purse strings to keep him home and off panty patrol. Actually, the Heinz 57 money is, according to Kerry and his wife, [not going to his campaign](http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1130604,00.html) _unless_ people start going negative against him: > [@From the linked article](#): > > When the Kerry campaign was floundering last autumn. it was Kerry who mortgaged his Boston townhouse to raise money and has said he won’t spend any Heinz money on a campaign - and she says she won’t offer it - unless the Bush campaign engages in ‘character assassination’. So this may have a bigger effect on Kerry’s finances if the rumours are false than if they are true. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876/20 "2004-02-12T19:23:45Z")
A close friend of mine works for the Dean campaign, and he says that this is why Dean took back his statements about withdrawing if he doesn’t win the Wisconsin primary. It’s fully expected that this will hit the mainstream press before the end of the week. I’m also apparently 12 years old, because in light of this story, [Kerry’s intern recruitment page](http://www.morningside.edu/student_life/careers/internships/kerryforpresident.cfm) is hilariously funny. It’s not just his Harley he’s been riding. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-it-aint-so-kerry-not-another-intern/228876.md?page=2)