Well, she's different ...

In the interests of tradition and decorum, we try not to say much about the family members of the president or his challenger. It's too easy to step over the line, and generally speaking the spouse and children have little to do or say on public policy.

This rule is not iron-clad. Had blogs existed in the Carter era there is no way we would have ignored brother Billy. The exception also went for Hillary Clinton because the Clintons decided to make her a "partner" in the presidency, at least for awhile. Now as a U.S. Senator, why of course she's comment-worthy.

Teresa Heinz-Kerry, who has shown little reluctance to stay out of the limelight especially in regard to pronouncements on public policy, recently discovered the "over the line" trip-wire when she lamented that Laura Bush had never had a "real job" as an adult. School teachers and librarians from the mountains to the pairies were not pleased. Nor were stay-at-home mothers.

TH-K seems like the spotlight and she's getting it. The Washington Times has an article today detailing how Washington's "polite society" -- read that "influential Democratic socialites" -- are breathless over the "fresh air" she will bring as the new First Lady. That's assuming John can swing the deal Nov. 2.

The story is fairly balanced and might be required reading for anyone still sitting on the fence. After all, a woman with over a billion $$$ in assets will most definitely have her say in a Kerry Administration. Some quotes:

Is mainstream America ready for Teresa Heinz Kerry, a woman who radio host Don Imus wonders might be "too crazy to be first lady"?

"The French will love her ..."

"She knows people in all walks of life," said Time magazine photographer Diana Walker, one of Mrs. Kerry's closest friends. "She knows where the brains are."

Mrs. Kerry is pro-choice and pro-homosexual rights. Over the past decade, through the Heinz Endowments, she donated $8.1 million to the liberal nonprofit Tides Center, making hefty
donations to the Three Rivers Community Foundation, which funds the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh. Marian Wright Edelman, Hillary Clinton's mentor and head of the Children's Defense Fund, has also been a recipient of Mrs. Kerry's largesse.

Mrs. Wallop points out that the Bushes have only hosted "what, four or five state dinners in four years? These people don't understand that to get things done you have to have these stupid dinners."

It's obvious many people fault the Bush family for a lack of fashion sense, for failure to party. We suppose that's important to some people but honestly, does it make a dime's difference to the rest of us in how we live our lives? And in a time of great national peril, is the staging of a grand White House dinner and dance soiree even a good idea? Does it send the right message to friend or foe? Sounds like something the French would do.

We admit that TH-K is interesting. Sometimes funny, like when she declared that she only added the hypen-Kerry to her name for political reasons. We also fear that her novelty might wear thin, and there are definitely a half-dozen or so potential conflicts-of-interest that might bear watching, financially speaking.