TWO of America’s most famous women are causing trouble for John Kerry, one with a sexually explicit outburst, the other with her silence.

Whoopi Goldberg, the Hollywood star, was dropped yesterday as the face of Slim-Fast, a dietary product, after an X-rated performance at a fundraiser the fallout from which is making the Democrat presidential candidate squirm.

Last night the Kerry team was forced into a swift U-turn after it had been announced that Hillary Clinton would not be given a speaking slot at the Democrat convention. Following sharp criticism, the New York senator was asked last night to introduce her husband on the first night of the event.

That Ms Goldberg stole the headlines from Mr Kerry with a series of lewd remarks about President Bush is only part of his problem.

Her ribald humour, which involved puns on the President’s surname, were a reminder that what may seem funny in the Radio City theatre in New York does not necessarily translate into laughs or votes in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

But it is Mr Kerry’s response to Ms Goldberg’s cracks, and the other celebrity performers at last week’s fundraiser who labelled Mr Bush a “liar” and a “cheap thug”, that have got him into trouble. Mr Kerry said they were all conveying “the heart and soul of America”.

Less than 24 hours later, after Republicans branded the gathering a “hate-fest”, Mr Kerry was hastily distancing himself from Ms Goldberg and company.

Mr Bush has picked up on the incident, mentioning it at campaign stops around the Midwest to contrast his and Mr Kerry’s visions of American values. Republicans had threatened to boycott Slim-Fast products.

Ms Goldberg issued a statement saying she had cracked jokes about every president in 20 years, and added: “I only wish the Republican re-election committee would spend as much time working on the economy as they seem to be spending trying to harm my pocketbook.”

The change of heart about Mrs Clinton’s role at the Democrat convention came after sharp criticism from leading figures in the party.

Judith Hope, a leading New York Democrat, had said that the decision was an outrage and “a slap in the face, not personally for Hillary Clinton, but for every woman in the Democratic Party and every woman in America”.

The decision by Democrat chiefs in concert with the Kerry campaign not to ask Mrs Clinton to speak seemed aimed at ensuring that a gathering intended to introduce John Kerry to American voters was not swamped by Clinton nostalgia. Bill Clinton will be a prime-time speaker.

There were also concerns that Mrs Clinton, one of the most polarising figures in the country, could deter independent voters.

But last night, the U-turn appeared to have satisfied the critics. “I am delighted,” said Ms Hope. “I think it is a very fitting and appropriate solution to a perplexing dilemma.”

Mr Bush has his own woman problems. He came under fire from Ericka Dunlap, the current Miss America, for failing to turn up at the annual convention of the NAACP, the country’s foremost black lobbying group.

“I think it’s extremely relevant for the President and for the other candidate to make sure that they are accessible to all Americans,” said Miss Dunlap. Mr Kerry addressed the convention yesterday.

On Wednesday night Republican attempts to embarrass Mr Kerry by forcing a Senate vote on a constitutional ban on gay marriage backfired when six Republicans rebelled and the amendemnt was defeated.

The rebels included John McCain, the independent-minded Republican who refused entreaties to be Mr Kerry’s running mate. He said that Mr Bush’s position was “antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans”.

Dick Cheney, the Vice-President, was forced once again to insist that he would be the President’s running-mate amid persistent speculation that he has now become too much of a liability and will be dropped.

John Edwards, Mr Kerry’s running-mate, used his first solo campaigning trip to invoke Tony Blair’s response to the Butler report to attack Mr Bush.

“Tony Blair didn’t run from the report,” said Mr Edwards. “He understands what leadership is . . . (to) be accountable not only for what is good, but for what is bad.”

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