SEAN HACKBARTH’S THE AMERICAN MIND is a good weblog, and its regular Kerry feature is okay. But — and I don’t mean to single out Sean in this — I’m tired of the ketchup stuff.

Yes, Kerry’s married to the Heinz heiress. And some people think it’s funny to associate him with a condiment. But Heinz Ketchup is an American treasure. Kerry should be proud to be associated with it, and Kerry’s critics aren’t diminishing him by making that association.

Oh, Hunt’s is OK, and Del Monte has its charms. The off-brand Paramount “Oyster Hot” is really good. But Heinz is the Ketchup Reference Standard. It’s the uber-Ketchup. So please stop dissing it in a lame attempt to make Kerry look bad.