Teresa Heinz Kerry isn't sure if anyone is qualified enough to be president of the United States, but believes her husband, Sen. John Kerry, is pretty close.
"He's determined and he's optimistic and he's idealistic," she said Saturday after speaking to a crowd at Sioux City's Anderson Dance Pavilion. "He has a very good sense of fairness and justice and he is creative about thinking of solutions to problems."
In short, Heinz Kerry said her husband is "idealistic but practical." And she thinks he will win the election in November.
"If not, it will still have been a great endeavor," Heinz Kerry said.
"When you're with people and they're open and you're open, you learn a lot about yourself and you also learn a lot about the world," Heinz Kerry said. "It's a great school."
"I would not be a very good campaigner if I had to shake hands and do the 'please vote for my husband' sort of thing," she said. "Not only would that bore me, but I don't think it's really effective. People tell me it is, but I don't think it is."
"Losing my husband so suddenly was a huge jolt," she said. "It was very painful."
"Negative energy is black energy. I just repulse it back to where it comes from," she said. "I'm not interested in that. Nor are people, I don't think. You don't uplift anything with lies and ugliness, period."
I do what I do, I am who I am. I can't pretend to be anything else," Heinz Kerry said. But, if she becomes the first lady, she would like to influence the American people. "I would hope to make everyone be acceptable to this country. After all, this country is the most diverse country."
I know how happy I could be living very simple in a hut in Africa taking care of sick people," she said. "I know I could be happy doing that because I have been. I like my things, but I know I can do without them, too. That's probably my greatest piece of luck."
"I love music and I love the small arts. I think it's very important for foundations to really fund and develop small arts initiatives," Heinz Kerry said. "[The endowments] do a lot of work on the environment, on education, on early childhood development and some aspects of health, particularly related to the environment."
Heinz Kerry said the one main misconception about her is that she was born rich.
"People think I was born with, I don't know what, gold nappies or something," she said. "I just had a wonderful childhood, wonderful mom and dad and a wonderful family. I knew the value of work and the value of study."