"He had to mortgage his own home...." So reads the New York Times story bizarrely entitled 'Kerry's Campaign Has Soared From Poorhouse to Penthouse.'  The American dream story. Sounds Capraesque: I will put up my own home to become the leader of my nation. And that 'poorhouse' mention has to take the prize for most misleading connotation of a a headline, at least since the orgy of 'no link found' headlines. All the story really tells us is that as soon as others had put up enough money, Kerry began living in the ampaign style to which his wife's late husband's family money had accustomed him.

The Los Angeles Times reveals in a pair of stories this morning, Kerry may be married to a billionaire. Based on conservative assumptions on the growth of the fortune Teresa Heinz inherited, and liberal assumptions on the spending and giving she, her children, and her consort have done, her fortune is likely above the symbolically important one billion dollar mark.

'The first billionaire President' certainly has a ring to it, doesn't it? Especially when one notices that Goldfinger, err, George Soros, has pledged to spend as much as it takes to elect another member of the billionaire's club to the most powerful office on earth.

The LA Times stories will put pressure on the Kerry campaign. So far, they have stonewalled requests to reveal Teresa's tax filings. But the billionaire label is potent, and the assumptions in the LA Times story are very, very reasonable. The only way to avoid the label sticking is to reveal that either Teresa has done worse with her investments than the S&P averages, or that she has been an incredible spendthrift. Neither would paint a flattering picture of her money management skills.

Which is all the more reason for the propagandists at the New York Times to work overtime using all the arts and powers at their command to obscure John F. Kerry's twice—removed—by—inheritance fortune.

What is completely unmentioned in the New York Times 'poorhouse' story containing the heartwarming 'mortgage' anecdote is that Kerry and his heiress wife have 5 homes worth at least $33 million. The mortgaging was a short—term stopgap measure probably meant as a public relations move. As William Buckley noted, "The publicity attached to the mortgage can only have served the cause of alerting his donors to the need to save not only the nation, but the house".  Also unmentioned by the NY Times was that the house he mortgaged was assessed at a value of nearly $7 million —— just a bit more than the average value of homes in America.

There are questions regarding how much of the house is actually held in his name. The Senator listed holdings in 2002 in his own name worth $409,000 to $1.8 million, plus assets jointly held with his wife, valued at $300,000 to $600,000. Kerry's major source of wealth derives from his penchant for marrying and divorcing wealthy women —— i.e., he is a gigolo.

If elected, due to his wives' (whose own fortunes derive from others in their families) monies, Kerry will be at least the third wealthiest US President. Based on the Los Angeles Times story, he may be the first billionaire, and the wealthiest ever. They mention his ex—wife's brother, David Thorne, but neglect to mention the Thorne's famnily wealth —— some of which propelled, and seems to continue to propel, his political career.

The New York Times completely fails to mention the widespread and well—covered impact of 527 campaigns on the presidential campaigns. These groups can be funded with unlimited amounts of money —— by the likes of Teresa Heinz, bored anti—American billionaires like George Soros, and by foreign nations and foreigners,  and, so long as they maintain a fig—leaf of independence from the campaign staffs of the candidates, can propagate political views. The Democrats have substantially more support from these 527 groups than do they Republicans. Not mentioned by the New York Times.

The Times continues its campaign to camaflouge the prep boy, gigolo  President wanna—be as a common man. A previous Times article noted his use of a banjo—the prototypically folk American instrument to play "This Land is Your Land", Woody Guthrie's anthem to the "People".   NOTE TO THE TIMES: I AGREE —— Kerry IS a common man—just not the type of common man the New York Times wants us to believe he is.