Apparently Kerry thought so, unloading the Italian villa just before his run for President began. Although that connection would probably be the lesser of his worries. The French cousin is more of a liability. But as a whole, it could hurt his 'man of the people' image.

In Italy:

quote:

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU MARCH 18, 2004 11:37:25 ET XXXXX KERRY UNLOADED ITALIAN MANSION MONTH HE DECIDED WHITE HOUSE RUN; SOLD TO GEORGE CLOONEY AFTER BRAD PITT FINDER Sen. John Kerry sold his foreign mansion in Italy just weeks before he announced a run for the White House in January of 2003, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. Actor George Clooney purchased the stunning 18th century mansion located in the Italian village of Laglio [50 miles north of Milan] from Kerry and his wife for $7,800,000. Clooney first learned about the listing from Brad Pitt, who had been holidaying with his wife Jennifer Aniston at Versace's compound nearby. While Kerry and his wife's homes in the United States are worth at least $23,733,705, it is not clear if the candidate currently owns property overseas. The campaign has repeatedly denied requests for any information on foreign assets held by Kerry.

and in France...

quote:

http://www.francetoday.com/modules....=article&sid=17 Francetoday.com Candidate John Kerry, on the road to the Democratic nomination for president of the United States, openly proclaims his love for France, much to the distaste of many U.S. Republicans. Kerry has good reasons. The 61-year-old Senator from Massachusetts is of French heritage and speaks the language of Molière fluently. His mother, Rosemary, was a daughter of the wealthy Forbes family with roots in Saint-Briac, an upscale spa town on Brittany's Emerald Coast. Here, in the spacious family home he still visits from time to time, the young Kerry spent most of his vacations immersed in the French way of life. One of his playmates was his first cousin, Brice Lalonde, who went on to become a leader of the French ecology movement and Minister of the Environment under Mitterrand! An avid reader of Gide and the French philosophers, the candidate for Democratic nominee makes no secret of his affection for the culture and cuisine of the Hexagon. His speech is often peppered with French phrases and expressions, to the delight of his wife Teresa, widow of ketchup mogul John Heinz and herself a passionate polyglot who learned French. Not surprisingly, the French appreciate the elegant style of Senator Kerry, who would seem the ideal "son-in-law" for a healthier era in Franco-American relations! But while transatlantic tensions persist, these influences are ammunition for adversaries who seek to delegitimize his program and even compare him to French President Jacques Chirac. France and its cultural values, a point of pride for Kerry and those close to him, become a shameful vice in the eyes of his detractors. To learn more about the candidate's French roots -- his childhood, family and region in Brittany -- as well as the latest attacks by his anti-French adversaries, stay tuned to for fresh installments of the story of John Kerry and his Francophile world.

___________________
FLUSHED THE JOHNS!