BOSTON--Score one point under the "dirty tricks" column for U.S. Senate candidate W. Mitt Romney.

In a debate meant to bring issues--not half-truths and attacks--to the forefront of this race, Romney chose to use the televised forum to characterize Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.) as a hypocrite.

Yet Romney's characterization may be inaccurate, and his method of gathering facts questionable.

Early in the debate, Romney, a venture capitalist from Belmont, charged that Mart Properties, a firm owned by the Kennedy family that operates the Chicago Merchandise and Apparel Marts, does not offer part-time employees health care insurance.

"That attack on part-time workers not having health care is the ultimate hypocrisy," Romney said. "Senator, I'm sure you know your [part-time] employees don't have health insurance there."

Throughout the campaign, it has been Kennedy who has emphasized that Romney has bankrolled some firms that do not provide health coverage to part-time employees.

Immediately after the debate, Charles Manning, Romney's political consultant, said the Republican candidate won the debate in large part due to this attack on Kennedy.

Although Romney asked Kennedy during the debate, "When will this [personal attacking] end?", Manning said Romney was right to attack his opponent, in turn.

"The Senator has gone after Mitt's business career," said Manning. "We think it shows Senator Kennedy has been a hypocrite in his advertising and in what he's said against Mitt."

After the debate Romney produced an affidavit from Kristina Lapham Escamilla, a Wilmette, III., resident, saying that the company does not provide health insurance coverage to part-time employees.

In the sworn statement, dated Monday, October 24--only one day before the debate--Escamilla says an employee in the personnel department at Mart Properties told her last Friday that the company hires some part-time workers but does not provide health insurance for them.

At the time, Escamilla told the company's personnel office that she was "interested in seeking part-time employment at the management company," according to the affidavit.

But in an interview last night, Escamilla said she was never really interested in employment and called Mart simply as a favor to Romney, a friend from her days at Harvard Business School.

"I was asked to by the Romney campaign," she said. "I didn't send a resume. I wasn't planning to. It was merely investigative."

Romney campaign spokesperson Eric Gedstad said he has "no idea" whether the campaign contacted Escamilla and referred further questions to Manning.