Kerry affair story goes mainstream after "intern" denial
Alexandra Polier, the 27 year old woman (Telegraph still flatters the lady and says 24) that John Kerry is accused of having an affair with, has broken her silence, and with that the US mainstream press breaks theirs.
"For the last several days, I have seen Internet and tabloid rumors relating to me and Senator John Kerry," Polier said in a statement to the AP issued from Kenya, where she is visiting her fiance's family. "Because these stories were false, I assumed the media would ignore them.
"It seems that efforts to peddle these lies continue, so I feel compelled to address them. I have never had a relationship with Senator Kerry, and the rumors in the press are completely false. Whoever is spreading these rumors and allegations does not know me, but should know the pain they have caused me and my family."
Personally, I don't understand how what wasn't a story when Kerry denied it suddenly becomes a big story when both Kerry and Polier deny it, but then I am not a journalist.
WaPo also insist on holding the high moral ground while issueing a kick towards conservative competitors:
Drudge's report was promptly picked up by conservative radio hosts Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and by the Web sites of National Review and the Wall Street Journal, and was analyzed online by Slate, Salon and commentator Andrew Sullivan, among others. Although it was probably the most talked-about story in Washington that day, most of the mainstream press, including The Washington Post, declined to report it because of the lack of evidence. [...]
Several British newspapers, meanwhile, named Polier and ran her photo. The story was prominently featured by the Times of London ("Dirty tricks row hits race for President") and the Sun ("New JFK Hit by Scandal"), which, like the New York Post, are owned by conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch.
Interestingly, Polier's parents issued a statement of their own, and there was no calling Kerry a sleazeball this time around:
In a separate statement today, Polier's parents, Terry and Donna, also dismissed the rumor, saying: "We appreciate the way Senator Kerry has handled the situation, and intend on voting for him for president of the United States." Alexandra Polier asked "that the press respect our privacy and leave all of us alone."
If one thing (apart from some actual evidence) can keep this story in the press in the forthcoming weeks, it is precisely speculation about why the Polier parents said that Kerry was a "sleazeball" who was after their daugther one day, and yet state they intend to vote for him a few days later. What is new? A media consultant? Some sane words from their daughter?
PS: Even the NYT writes the rumour denial story.
8:43:17 AM 
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