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Madame President Clinton? Chelesa Clinton That Is

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May 21, 2008 5:45 PM

ABC News' Ed O'Keefe Reports: Perhaps there will be a Madame President Clinton after all. No, not Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.  How about former first daughter and active campaigner Chelsea Clinton?

"If you asked me (if Chelsea would run for office) before Iowa, I would have said, 'No way. She is too allergic to anything we do.' But she is really good at it," former President Bill Clinton tells PEOPLE magazine in their latest issue, hitting newsstands Friday.

In the PEOPLE exclusive, Clinton called his daughter's "emergence" the "second best thing" of the campaign, after his wife's "ability to endure in the face of all the blows that have been rained on her: outspent, dismissed, denigrated, declared dead...when I met her, I found that in her personal relationships she lacked self-confidence and was painfully shy. She is having more fun now than at the beginning. If you look at her, she seems perfectly relaxed, doesn't she?"

When asked what he's learned about Chelsea's political skills, Clinton told PEOPLE, "It all changed after Iowa. She realized her mother lost Iowa 100 percent because of younger voters. She was upset, bawled, went to her employer and said, 'Look, you got to let me go or give me an indefinite leave of absence. I'm not letting my mother go down like this.'"

The former president strongly rebuked the suggestion that the Clinton campaign ever played the race card against Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

"I was really hurt about it at first. I am way over being hurt. This was cold-blooded, calculated, manipulated and a revolting strategy," Clinton said, in reference to the accusation that the Clinton camp stoked racial fears during his wife's bid.

When asked the seemingly open-ended question, "Is there anything you want voters to know?", Clinton replied, "When I was so tired, I either was not as precise as I should have been or I seemed angrier than I would have been. That's always my mistake. If I am to have any blame, that's it."

Clinton also said he didn't know Obama very well but called his wife's Democratic nomination rival "an immensely talented man" before adding, "I think I understand him. There are enough similarities in our childhoods and things that I think I get what he is doing. But I do think it's better to have made a lot of decisions before you get to be president."

Telling PEOPLE he speaks to his wife "probably three times a day", Clinton explained, "I got in the habit of not being an e-mailer when I was president because we had Newt Gingrich, who wanted to subpoena every e-mail ever written in the White House."

When asked whether the nomination fight would go all the way to the convention, Clinton replied, "It depends on what happens between now and then. It's been really funny that when when all she asked was to let all the votes be counted, the response from the other side was to pressure as many superdelegates as possible, in districts mostly that she carried, to come out against her."

May 21, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (423)

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POP QUIZ KIDS:

ROUND ONE:
Q:Who is HRC's Michigan State Campaign Chair?

A: Jennifer Granholm

ROUND TWO:
Q. Who is the Govenrnor of Michigan?

A. Jennifer Granholm

ROUND THREE:
Q. Who voted to move MI Primary, in violation of DNC Rules and aware of the sanctions to be imposed?

A. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm

BONUS ROUND:
Q. Which Michigan Super Delegate endorsed Hillary Clinton LAST FALL?

A. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Any one else see a pattern here???

It's so Karl Rove.

Posted by: MI VOTER | May 21, 2008 6:03:15 PM

I was shocked when her name was included in an article in the NYT this weekend. Her name was along side women like Govenors Nepolitano, Pailin, and Selibius. Along side Representatives Pelosi, Giffords, Gillibrand, and Herseth Sandlin. Along side Senators Hutchinson, Klobuchar, and Collins. OUTRAGEOUS. These are self-made women. I'm a man with three daughters and this type of anti-feminism makes me SICK. What exactly are her qualifications? This should ENRAGE real women.

Posted by: disabledOIFvet | May 21, 2008 6:04:37 PM

It's time all the Clintons' said goodbye. It's the end of the road. Barack Obama has the lead in absolutely all the Democratic delegate count there is. What a shame he & his family couldn't celebrate last night when they met that milestone of pledged delegates. Obama had to be careful not to upset Hillary's voters. Barack Obama was entitled to that celebration.

Posted by: Jan | May 21, 2008 6:09:41 PM

David Gergen had a terrific suggestion last night:
Sen. Clinton should simply state that she doesn't want the vote of people who aren't voting for Obama because of race.
Say it as simply as that.
If the Clintons aren't playing the race card, tell the American public they don't want the vote of racists.

Posted by: fougasseu | May 21, 2008 6:27:15 PM

I like how "the other side" used to be the "vast right wing conspiracy" and now its just other Democrats who are sick of the Clintons!

Posted by: Remy | May 21, 2008 6:28:00 PM

I have nothing against Chelsea. But haven't we had enough of the Clinton/Bush saga already? Let her pursue her passions without the burden of media prodding. They only say this stuff to sell ads anyway.

Posted by: clarkohrepub | May 21, 2008 6:29:31 PM

OMG; we're not even rid of the two Clintons and now he's introducing a third one into politics? Why won't they ALL just go away? Oh, I'm sure she's qualified now that she's 'emerged' in her mother's campaign. Bill just needs to keep his mouth closed. He keeps making a fool of himself!

Posted by: Mary | May 21, 2008 6:30:00 PM

Who would be performing the "non sex", the intern or the President?

Posted by: GL | May 21, 2008 6:30:41 PM

According to the ABC reporting, Bill Clinton said that Chelsea told her employer: " ... I'm not letting my mother go down like this.'" ..."

Oh the irony!

It makes me so bitter and angry that every time one thinks of Bill and Hillary, they normally think of Bill's tawdry spousal cheating and the multiple allegations of sexual harassment levied against Bill by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Posted by: twin_peaks_nikki | May 21, 2008 6:30:49 PM

I'm never going to be president.

Posted by: chelsea clinton | May 21, 2008 6:30:49 PM

the clintons make me sick to my stomach. please move on. stop poisoning us all.

Posted by: next | May 21, 2008 6:31:08 PM

Re: MI VOTER's "Round Three"

Actually, Jennifer Granholm doesn't have the power to "vote". As Governor, she either signs the bill into law or vetos it.

So, in answer to your question: Who voted to move MI Primary, in violation of DNC Rules and aware of the sanctions to be imposed?

The MI House and Senate voted to move the MI Primary, not Jennifer Granholm.

Posted by: SFnomad | May 21, 2008 6:31:18 PM

"Madame President Clinton? Chelsea Clinton That Is"

Chelsea would have no chance against Jenna Bush and Barbara Bush ticket.

Posted by: Ares | May 21, 2008 6:31:45 PM

We can only assume she has the ethics,
the respect for truth and law, as her
parents.

And clearly, because she thinks she can campaign without speaking to reporters, like a prissy queen, she has the
entitlement problem of her Mother.

Though probably she wouldn't molest Wh employees or interns.

But could we be spared another Cinton?

Posted by: Laura | May 21, 2008 6:31:54 PM

We can only assume she has the ethics,
the respect for truth and law, as her
parents.

And clearly, because she thinks she can campaign without speaking to reporters, like a prissy queen, she has the
entitlement problem of her Mother.

Though probably she wouldn't molest Wh employees or interns.

But could we be spared another Cinton?

Posted by: Laura | May 21, 2008 6:32:00 PM

But Chelsea lied about Bosnia sniper fire. She backed up her Mom's story, remember? She was there on the ground too, after all, and knows what really happened. I think the sniper lies killed two Clinton careers at once.

Posted by: Charlie K., Bronx | May 21, 2008 6:32:02 PM

"It's so Karl Rove".

Had HRC been smart enough to hire Rove, she would already have the nomination locked up.

Posted by: robertT | May 21, 2008 6:32:03 PM

1 word: EEEEWWWWW

Posted by: BPQ | May 21, 2008 6:32:05 PM

David Gergen's suggestion was bullshit. If Clinton should make that statement, Obama should ask the AA community to not vote for him because he is black (sort of).

Gergen has become a CNN whore. Unfortunate becauseI really used to like him.

Posted by: kris | May 21, 2008 6:32:30 PM

give me a break! Chelsea Clinton, the silver spoon-fed strawberry girl. You have got to be kiddin. That girl does not know about hard physical work, does not know about carrying for kids, a home, bills, gasoline, work, and all the other challenges most American women experience in a day. Moreover, she has no sense of what it takes to work hard for something, starting from ground up. Yes, Bill Clinton paid his dues as probably did her mother, but Chelsea, she opens her mouth, and stupidity spawns. She has no sense of statecraft, real-politique, and political philosophy.
Clinton's "get the f*@k out of here. Go home and shut up!!

Posted by: lavampire | May 21, 2008 6:32:35 PM

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