She said, she said

The Democratic convention had not even begun in Boston before a principal made an intemperate statement followed by a flip-flop. Teresa Heinz Kerry’s statements require serious clarification, starting with putting her own words back in her mouth.

Mrs. Heinz Kerry made her remarks at a reception for the Pennsylvania delegation on Sunday night. As The Associated Press reported, Mrs. Heinz Kerry called for more civility in politics and added, “We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics.” Shortly afterward, she was asked by Colin McNickle, editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, what she meant by “un-American.”

Instead of clarifying, Mrs. Heinz Kerry denied her statement. The AP reported, “Heinz Kerry said ‘I didn’t say that’ several times to McNickle.” When Mr. McNickle asked her again, Mrs. Heinz Kerry declared, “You said something I didn’t say. Now shove it.” Reuters reported the same series of exchanges, adding only that while making her pointed denial, Mrs. Heinz Kerry pointed her finger at Mr. McNickle.

When asked about the incident, the Kerry campaign demonized Mr. McNickle, saying, “It was a moment of extreme frustration aimed at a right wing rag that has consistently and almost purposefully misrepresented the facts when reporting on Mrs. Heinz Kerry.” That attack is specious: The Tribune-Review first ran an AP story of the incident on Sunday.

John Kerry, who has been so anxious for a positive message to come out of the convention that his staff has reportedly edited excessive Bush-bashing out of convention speeches, supported the attack. “I think my wife speaks her mind appropriately,” he said. It is not clear which of his wife’s remarks Mr. Kerry approves of: her declaration; her bald-faced denial; or her rebuff of Mr. McNickle.

Notwithstanding her naked denial, audiotapes and reports of the incident leave no doubt that Mrs. Heinz Kerry did use the term “un-American.” The only ambiguous point is which traits or entities Mrs. Heinz Kerry considers “un-American.” Regardless, the charge has no place in American presidential politics — whether spoken by the candidates or their spouses.

Mrs. Heinz Kerry’s behavior demonstrates an unfortunate pattern common to Democrats of demonizing their political opponents and then either denying the attacks or denigrating the attackers. For instance, in January, Sen. Edward Kennedy received little condemnation from his liberal-minded colleagues, like Mr. Kerry, after accusing the president of sending U.S. soldiers to “Iraq for ideological reason and on a timetable based on the marketing of a political product.”

Mrs. Heinz Kerry’s charge smacks of McCarthyism. Her denial smacks of mendacity. She said “un-American,” she said “I didn’t say it” and then she said “shove it.” Whatever the tone of the ensuing convention speeches, Mrs. Heinz Kerry’s words speak for themselves.