VINTON, Iowa, Dec. 31, 2007
Chelsea Clinton: I Don't Talk To The Press
Even Turns Down Request From Nine-Year-Old Reporter During Event In Iowa
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Play CBS Video Video Daughters Of The Campaign Most candidates in this election are putting their daughters to work for them, hoping they can reach elusive young female voters. Nancy Cordes reports.
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Video Eye To Eye: Campaign Kids "Only On The Web": Spouses have long been part of presidential campaigns. Now kids of White House hopefuls are playing roles. Nancy Cordes spoke to some of the candidates' daughters.
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Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right and daughter Chelsea greet an audience in Vinton, Iowa Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. (AP)
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Video Library Scenes From The Road Watch exclusive video from CBS News reporters traveling with the candidates.
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Interactive William Jefferson Clinton Follow the ups and downs of President Clinton's years in office, see photos and learn about his life before and after the presidency.
Sydney Rieckhoff, a Cedar Rapids fourth grader and "kid reporter" for Scholastic News, has posed questions to seven Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls as they've campaigned across Iowa this year. But when she approached the 27-year-old Chelsea after a campaign event Sunday, she got a different response.
"Do you think your dad would be a good 'first man' in the White House?" Sydney asked, but Chelsea brushed her question aside.
"I'm sorry, I don't talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you're cute," Chelsea told the pint-sized journalist.
Such is the paradox of Chelsea as she campaigns across Iowa in the closing days before the state's caucuses Jan. 3.
Tall and attractive, Chelsea cuts an impressive figure on the campaign trail; she plunges enthusiastically into the crowd after her mother's speeches, shaking hands and posing for pictures while asking, "Are you going to caucus for my mom?"
But onstage, Chelsea never speaks; she stands next to her mother and applauds but utters not a single sentence and doesn't even say hello. And reporters covering the campaign have been put on notice that Chelsea is not available to speak to them. An aide follows the former first daughter as she works the crowd, shushing reporters who approach her and try to ask any questions.
Famously protective of their daughter's privacy, Bill and Hillary Clinton have taken pains to shield Chelsea from the harsh glare and rough edges of presidential politics. She stayed largely absent from her mother's campaign until December, when she made her first visit to Iowa.
For her part, Sydney looked a bit crestfallen after Chelsea turned her away. But luckily for Hillary Clinton, Sydney's mother has made up her mind to caucus for the former first lady.
"I like her position on family values and health care. And I think it's time we have a female president," Robyn Rieckhoff said.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 247 CommentsI also noticed that g''ick slammed somebody for using the term "neocon", but she yipped about "liberals", using the limbaugh-style straw-man pejorative, when the proper definition can actually apply to almost 70% of Americans.
call her global_hypocrite...
Also, Chelsea''s not talking to the media shows she''s smarter than McCain''s, like, y''know, daughter...
The point you and everyone should take from this story is that the Clintons are cold strategic people who will do anything to win. Chelsey is no different, she has no heart or soul just like her parents and their fake marriage and their fake promises. They just want to sit around with the Bush''s and smoke cigars one day and talk about how they rulled the country for almost 30 years.
Obama and McCain and Hucklebee are the only genuine people who aren''t corrupt in the political system left or right. So take you Bush hatting sun glasses off and realize that he is not running this time.
I think you miss the point. This article was written by some numb nut raising and hue and cry about NOTHING! Which is very typical of Neocon republican media. Let''s not address a real problem, like the issues, or asking Mr. Bush to take responsibility for his incompetence.
Let''s just bash Chelsea!
Posted by j-whitman
Yes, you too
That''s been her policy for months. Does this come as some sort of a surprise to the news media?
Why would nine-year-old girls, however cute, be an exception?
Posted by j-whitman
Ahhh, but Diana could have . . .
Posted by alanrobisch2
What would it have costed her to just say "my dad is great at everything he does" . . . the little reporter girl gets a huge scoop, kids identify with her, her parents look great, she looks great, and she looks like a supporter of kids and initiative.
Everybody''s entitled to their opinion, but I think people who already think of Billary as calculating and power-hungry get wigged out to see that kind of behavior in their kid too - like their need for control is all-encompassing and going to permeate their reign in the WH. Like I said you don''t have to agree and I appreciate that lots of people don''t. I''m just saying that it would appear many of us see things differently too . . .
Ummm, do I need my tinfoil hat here?
It would''ve been rude if she''d said, Get out of my face, I don''t talk to reporters, punk!
She said, I don''t talk to reporters, but you''re cute!
For petes sakes!
If you were campaigning for an important public office, would you want Anyone interviewing your offspring regarding your own decisions? Didn''t think so.
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Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 07:38 PM : Dec 31, 2007
+ report abuse
It may not be rude but she''s a 9 yr old for heaven''s sake
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Posted by adiant at 07:24 PM : Dec 31, 2007
+ report abuse
This truly sounds like a clinton apologist answer. Admit it chelsea could have handled it better. She didn''t. It does speak to the attempt to control the media.
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See all 247 Comments