Comments by Chris

The latest from the Political Grapevine:

Comments by Chris
Ms. Magazine, remember Ms. well, it's now owned by something called the Feminist Majority Foundation, and it may not have the readership it used to, but today it piped up to demand an apology from FOX News Channel for my colleague Chris Wallace's observations about Teresa Heinz Kerry's speech last night.

Chris said he had wondered beforehand why the Kerry camp was having her make the night's featured speech, and having heard it, he still didn't know why. He added —  "I was half-expecting her to break out into 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina'." That was too much for Elaine Lafferty, editor of the magazine who said — "Crude name calling and comparisons with [Evita Peron], the wife of an Argentinean leader who headed a fascist regime, ... is beyond all journalistic pale."

How Will Heinz Kerry Do?
Meanwhile, in an unscientific, online poll taken on America Online during Heinz Kerry's speech, a majority, 61 percent, of respondents said she will hurt John Kerry's chances of winning in November. Nearly a third that many, 23 percent, said she would help his chances. And 15 percent said she wouldn't affect Kerry's chances either way.

Cigarettes Offensive?
Government officials in Hawaii are condemning the Camel brand's new Kauai Kolada cigarettes — which feature slight flavors of pineapple and coconut, insisting they are — "offensive to the people of our state."

The Mayor of Kauai County says he is, "appalled that [the cigarette manufacturer] has chosen to use the Kauai name," adding, "[it] is not just the name of our home. It is representative of our culture and community."

State Governor Linda Lingle calls the cigarettes' name, "disgusting," and has promised to write a letter to the cigarette manufacturer, R-J Reynolds Tobacco, to put a stop to it. RJ Reynolds, meanwhile, says it, "regrets ... those feelings."

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report