Ah, conventional wisdom, you fickle mistress. The New York Times today ran an article about how John Kerry is a depressing, ugly, lifeless loser. Even Wonkette was struck by how mean the article was.
What's more, the Times notes right up top that Kerry has always been this way. "Even in the best of times, Mr. Kerry�s face hung droopy and funereal, one of the most weary in American politics." Gosh, how'd the guy even get elected to the Senate?
Wait, could losing an election have made John Kerry physically uglier � retroactively? Here are some descriptions of him from 2001 to 2004.
"He is an attractive man, handsome." � Brit Hume, Fox News
"matinee-idol handsome." �Larry J. Sabato, Center for Politics
"Kennedy-like charisma" �Iowa City Press-Citizen
"Charismatic" �R. Emmett Tyrell Jr., New York Sun
"Do you have the charm and charisma and oratoric ability of John Kerry?" �Chris Matthews (to Joe Biden) MSNBC
"eloquent and highly charismatic" �Oakland Post
"handsome blue blood" �US News & World Report
"an extremely handsome man with a head chiselled from marble" � Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker
"He's tall, he's attractive, he's charismatic" �Bill McInturff, GOP pollster
"Handsome man. Lot of charisma, that guy." � Joe Kernan, CNBC
"Tall, handsome" �Daily News
Here's a batch from 2000, when Al Gore was considering him as a VP candidate (so some of this may be in comparison to Al Gore):
"charismatic Vietnam War hero" �Newsweek
"charismatic, decorated Vietnam hero?" �Newsweek
"Mr Kerry and Mr Edwards, who are both seen as charismatic campaigners conveying a youthful, energetic image." �Financial Times
"a charismatic campaigner " �USA Today
"A handsome, decorated Vietnam veteran" �Raleigh News and Observer
"tall, handsome, reserved" � Pittsburg Post-Gazette
"very handsome, very articulate" �Linda Douglass, ABC News
"an attractive, aggressive Vietnam War hero" �Deborah Orin, NY Post
"young, sort of vigorous" �Julia Reed, MSNBC
"tall, handsome, reserved" - Mary McGrory, Washington Post
And here's a handful from before 2000:
"tall, handsome and rich" �US News & World Report
"rich and handsome, Ivy-educated, patrician Democratic senator" � Bob Schieffer, CBS News
"tall, handsome" � Washingtonian
"handsome and successful" �Oregonian
"tall, 50-ish, attractive" �Cindy Adams, New York Post
"An attractive Yale graduate decorated for naval heroics in Viet Nam before he turned against the war, the Irish-American Kerry is conspicuously Kennedyesque." �Kurt Andersen, Time
Bonus: At least she hasn't changed her mind... Has she?
"He's very hunky, very handsome. I would say he's as good - or better looking - than John Kennedy." � Teresa Heinz Kerry, 1997
