: Saturday July 28 6:16 PM ET
: William Kennedy Smith Reportedly Eyes House Race

Wednesday August 1 9:39 AM ET

William Kennedy Smith Rules Out 2002 Congress Run

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - William Kennedy Smith, who was acquitted of rape in a sensational 1991 trial, said on Wednesday that he had decided not to run for the U.S. Congress in 2002 but did
not rule out running at a later date.

Smith, a third-generation member of the Kennedy political clan, said he wanted to focus on his work as a physician specializing in rehabilitation for amputees and would not seek a seat in Congress.

``I decided over the weekend really that I did not want to proceed at the moment in the race, largely because of commitments I have right now to the Center For International Rehabilitation,'' said Smith in an interview with ABC's ``Good Morning America.''

Smith, 39, has kept a low public profile since the rape trial, which was broadcast worldwide. A doctor and activist on behalf of land mine victims, Smith founded Physicians Against Land Mines and is president of the Center For International Rehabilitation in Chicago.

He is the son of Jean Kennedy Smith, former ambassador to Ireland and the sister of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy, and her husband the late Stephen Smith.

William Kennedy Smith said he had been considering whether to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who is leaving Congress to run for governor of Illinois. Smith has lived in the Chicago area for the past decade.

He took part in several focus groups and after reports emerged over the weekend he was considering a run for Congress, Smith said he decided to speak to the people he worked with before
making his choice.

Asked whether his decision not to run for political office was based on negative publicity and fallout from the rape trial, Smith said this was not the case.

``Sure, people can say that. People will say all kinds of things and do. That's not the truth, but I'm sure people will say that,'' said Smith.

Smith said it was important to remember he was acquitted of rape. The accusation stemmed from a beach incident after a night he spent at a Palm Beach, Florida, bar, with his uncle, Edward Kennedy, and the senator's son Patrick, now a Democratic representative from Rhode Island.

``For me, the important thing is that I am comfortable with who I am and what I have done. I felt I had something to contribute and that there was an opportunity I should look at in a serious way,'' he said.

ABC showed a television interview from nearly a decade ago with the woman who claimed she was raped by Smith and then asked him what focus groups had said about the trial.

``The point of this interview is not to retry a case. That's an endless process that can always go on in the media. The fact of the matter is that all these videos are there... it's all in the public domain and people should make up their mind,'' Smith said.

Generally, he said, the focus groups concluded he had his day in court, was acquitted and should be judged on what he had done since then and what he had to offer.

Pressed on whether he might consider a run for political office at a later stage, Smith said as a physician he could do good work in Congress.

``I'm a physician and it makes a lot of sense to have a physician in Congress when you are dealing with issues such as Medicare and Medicaid. I think there are a lot of things that I bring from that experience,'' he said.

-----