Chelsea Clinton weighs role in mom’s bid

Changing roles of candidates' children
From John F. Kennedy's toddler son poking out from under his dad's Oval Office desk in the early 1960s to the camera-ready antics of John Edwards' youngsters in 2004, children have helped to soften and humanize their politically ambitious parents. But their roles have varied widely, especially during campaign season.

In 2000, Democrat Al Gore's 27-year-old daughter, Karenna, was a top adviser and campaign surrogate. John Kerry's daughters, Alexandra and Vanessa, campaigned actively for their father in 2004. But George W. Bush's twins, Jenna and Barbara, largely have avoided politics and did not campaign actively during their father's two successful presidential races.

Children's roles are shaping up very differently this time.

Among Democrats, John Edwards' oldest daughter, Cate, a 25-year-old Harvard Law student, has hit the trail for her father as she did in 2004. Barack Obama's two young daughters, ages 8 and 5, appeared at his campaign kickoff but have otherwise been shielded from the spotlight so far.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney's five adult sons are heavily involved in their father's efforts and are even publishing a joint campaign blog.

John McCain's seven children have campaigned sporadically; most were on hand for parts of his announcement tour last month. But former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has acknowledged his estrangement from his children, 21-year-old Andrew and 18-year-old Caroline.

A second shot at first daughter
When the Clintons first arrived in Washington in early 1993, they pleaded with reporters to leave Chelsea alone. The request was largely heeded through her high school years and later at Stanford University, where she graduated with a degree in history in 2001.

As a graduate student in England, where she attended Oxford University from 2001-03, Chelsea became a magnet for coverage by the British tabloids, who eagerly reported on her boyfriends, outfits and pub crawls.

A particularly high-profile appearance in 2002, when a designer-clad Chelsea showed up with Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow at a Versace fashion show in Paris, set the paparazzi into a feeding frenzy.

Since then, the excitement has quieted down. While photos of Chelsea pop up from time to time in New York gossip columns, she largely has kept a low-key private life.

In a recent Newsweek essay on the pitfalls facing potential "first kids," Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti — who was something of a hellraiser during her father's White House years — had nothing but praise for how Chelsea has conducted herself thus far.

"Somehow she understood the value of silence, the grace of staying just out of reach, even at a young age," Davis wrote. "If Hillary gets elected, Chelsea will be the first first daughter to do it all over again. And you know what? She'll be fine."

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