Kennedy says 9/11, Obama led her to public service

[babylonsister]

Kennedy says 9/11, Obama led her to public service
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press Writer


Dec 26th, 2008 | NEW YORK -- Caroline Kennedy emerged from weeks of near-silence Friday about her bid for a Senate seat by saying that after a lifetime of closely guarded privacy, she felt compelled to answer the call to service issued by her father a generation ago.

She said two events shaped her decision to ask Gov. David Paterson 11 days ago to consider her for the position if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and her work for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

In her first sit-down interview since she emerged as a Senate hopeful, the 51-year-old daughter of President John F. Kennedy cited her father's legacy in explaining her decision to seek to serve alongside her uncle Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.

"Many people remember that spirit that President Kennedy summoned forth," she said. "Many people look to me as somebody who embodies that sense of possibility. I'm not saying that I am anything like him, I'm just saying there's a spirit that I think I've grown up with that is something that means a tremendous amount to me."

She also credited her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, with giving her the courage to run.

"I think my mother ... made it clear that you have to live life by your own terms and you have to not worry about what other people think and you have to have the courage to do the unexpected," she said.

more...

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/us/2008/12/26/D95AM17O0_caroline_kennedy/index.html

[elehhhhna]

1. 911 was years ago.

[babylonsister]

3. So? Her kids were younger, too. Being a NYer, I imagine it had

a huge impact on her, as it did everyone.

[Cha]

9. I just saw the interview on my local tv station..

I was at the 'puter and looked up and there she was(on mute)and I got up immediately and jumped across the bed for the remote:)

Here's the link to the interview..
http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/91326/-i-ny1-exc...


I think she'd be great for us here in New York and the country as a whole.

[BeatleBoot]

2. As They Say.....

[dipsydoodle]

4. 9/11/73

Was one one the issues which eventually led me to DU. I was mid Atlantic the second one 2001 and seriously believed, whist still in flight, that it was blow back from Chile due to the anniversary date.

So why did 9/11/01 lead her to public service ? In the hope of not totally pissing off any other groups or countries from whence blow back would arise in the years to come ?

[bottomtheweaver]

5. Good answers to some prickly questions:

1. Why is she talking now and why was she avoiding the press earlier?

She agreed to sit down for interviews Friday with The Associated Press and NY1 television.

Kennedy acknowledged that her recent time in the limelight — after a relatively private life as a wife, mother of three, best-selling author and fundraiser in New York City — had not gone entirely smoothly.

But she said she had turned down interview requests and tried not to appear to be campaigning for the job because she knew that the choice rested solely with the Democratic governor.

"I was trying to respect the process. It is not a campaign," she said. "It was misinterpreted. If I were to be selected, I understand public servants have to be accessible."

2. What about those missed elections?

Kennedy has been criticized for failing vote in a number of elections since registering in New York City in 1988, including in 1994 when Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was up for re-election for the seat she hopes to take over.

When asked to explain Friday, Kennedy reacted with good humor. "I was really surprised and dismayed by my voting record," she said. "I'm glad it's been brought to my attention."

From the AP story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j1Ip3ozUR59_dUPZBfwDdRBUpbRgD95AMQJO1

[HeraldSquare212]

7. "I'm glad it;s been brought to my attention." She wasnt' aware of her voting record?

[HeraldSquare212]

6. And seven years later, here she is...how convenient that there's a Senate seat open.

[emilyg]

8. How nice for her.