"A check of that tape shows that while Heinz Kerry did use the word, it came in the context of discussing what her son Chris called the 'noble art of public service.'"

"I believe there is a nobility in public service. I believe every citizen can be a public servant. And should be," Heinz Kerry told News 4.

When Wiggin asked, "Do you think some of the nobility has gone out of public service?" the would-be first lady shot back, "Oh, there is [sic] a lot of scumbags everywhere. Not just in politics. In everything. There are a lot of immoral people everywhere."

In fact, The New Yorker didn't spotlight Teresa's "scumbag" outburst - burying the quote so deeply near the end of its eye-glazing profile that most reporters didn't notice.

That changed Monday morning when NewsMax headlined its report on The New Yorker's story "Teresa: My Critics Are 'Scumbags.'"

Sorry, News 4, but when the woman who wants to be first lady uses the word "scumbag" in any context during a videotaped interview, that's news in anybody's book.

Editor's note: