Former First Daughter Writes First Person Account of Sept. 11...(Barf Alert)

The Oregonian ^ | 11/8/01 | The Associate Press

[Lucky2]

Former first daughter writes first-person account of Sept. 11 for magazine The Associated Press 11/8/01 3:08 PM NEW YORK (AP) -- Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, who was 12 blocks away from the World Trade Center when it collapsed, has written an account of that day for Talk magazine.

"Before Sept. 11 I wouldn't have believed I had many innocences left," begins the four-page story in the December issue of the magazine. "I had seen people who had lost everything and everyone they loved to war, famine, and natural disasters. ... Despite all that, I woke up that Tuesday morning feeling good about where I was in my life and happy about where I was going."

Clinton was near Union Square, at the apartment of longtime friend Nicole Davison, when the first hijacked airliner hit Tower One. Davison, who had left for work, called Clinton and told her to stay where she was. Like many Americans that day, Clinton turned on the television and watched as the second plane hit.

"I tried to call my mother, but after I said hello to her assistant the line went dead," Clinton wrote. She ventured outside to find a working telephone, and ended up walking downtown -- toward the towers.

"I remember very little about how I got so far downtown. ... I don't know whether I was on the corner or in the middle of the block," she wrote. "I do remember standing in line at a phone somewhere and hearing a deafening rumble."

The noise Clinton heard was the collapse of Tower Two.

Clinton later found Davison and another friend, and the three spent the day working their way uptown. Clinton wrote that a "somewhat irrational medley of thoughts" was running through her head, including concerns about President Bush's tax cut.

"I worried that with the tax cut we wouldn't have enough money to repair New York and D.C. and to help the families of the thousands I knew must have died," she wrote.

At one point, she stopped to pray and thank God that her mother was a senator representing New York and that the city was led by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani -- a leader Clinton wrote she "had been criticizing just the day before for some insensitivity or other."

When Clinton finally got through to her mother, who was in Washington, she burst into tears of relief. She later spoke with her father, who was in Australia.

"The next night I saw my mother, and early Thursday morning I saw my dad in Chappaqua," Clinton wrote. "It was only after I had seen them both that I finally felt secure again in my own skin."

Now studying in Oxford, England, Clinton says she is frustrated to be away from America. She says she encounters anti-American sentiments every day.

"For more than 21 years I lived with the assumption that I was safe, with a sense of security so profound I didn't even know I had it," Clinton wrote. "Today I find myself shocked into a new awareness of how much I loved the country I grew up in."

[hellinahandcart]

It's at least one mile away, using the old standard of 20 uptown blocks=one mile. On 9/11 the "frozen zone" was right at 14th, and a couple days later days later it was moved down to Canal St. I'll try to find a map.

mr. h watched it all from his studio window at 17th St. Chelsea was in no more danger than he was.

[Trueblackman]

She wasn't out jogging that morning she went thur the doggie door and was out chasing cars that morning Arf Arf Woof Woof!!!

[Kermit]

The Clintons always count on the media not to point out the discrepancies to their earlier stories.

This is a Stanford Grad? Chelsea sounds incredibly immature and stupid.

[Lucky2]

I know what you mean. Just use this as the laugh of the week and understand that the clintons are a bunch of liars, cheats and bleeding heart ugly liberals. All of them are a disgrace and darling Chelsea is now at the top of the heap!

[cardinal4]

LOL!I guess she must have hit a parked car pretty hard face first...Whoops,did I say that out loud?

[js1138]

My 26 year-old son also wandered the streets of Manhattan after the attack. He wrote an 8 page e-mail within 24 hours, describing his fear and confusion. (He worked a couple blocks away). His account is completely honest, has no political agenda, and is rather embarrasingly sentimental. After getting home, the first thing he did was put his cat in a carrier and go out in search of his girlfriend. He made a lot of bad decisions which wound up being OK. I believe his account because it isn't self-serving.

I seriously doubt he gave any thought to the tax cut.

<];^)

[MamaLucci]

"I don't see one word in there about the victims."

Me either...only pseudo memories about the tax cut ramifications and prayers for Senator Hillary!.
I doubt that New Yorker's will feel warm and fuzzy after reading this "kid tested, mother approved" BS.

[mountaineer]

Like, I'm thinking really deep thoughts.
What about the tax cut?
Should I get a latte or a double espresso?
Do my hips look big in this outfit?
Darn, that WTC dust is all over my sunglasses.

[APBaer]

"I think that her real father is Janet Reno."

Yes, He da man!

[dead]

They never disappoint, those Clintons, but if the rest of the article is anything like these excerpts this will be so far above and beyond the call of duty that Chelsea deserves a medal.

Seriously, did anybody suspect that she could be even more narcissistic and delusional than both her parents. This is absolutely priceless and will provide me with laughs for years to come.

[KSCITYBOY]

What do ya say we send her a link.

[cardinal4]

Mark my words, she is just getting started.She will be running for congress in 4 years,who knows what state,what happened to the pediatric thoracic surgeon gig?Or was she too smart for that?LIke I said earlier,no better than her mother.

[TLBSHOW]

LOLROF

[APBaer]

"After you've walked in on your father with numerous women not your mother,"

Not to mention, "After you've walked in on your mother with numerous women."

[cajungirl]

being the smartest woman in the world obviously skips a generation.

You are very funny whoever said this. What I wonder if why she didn't give a thought to Dingell-Norwood during her lurching around with the latte on the jog. I mean, any patriotic girl, on seeing buildings fall, people die and horrid things would by necessity think of Dingell-Norwood. ANd I am alarmed that she didn't work in the Gore presidential win that was cheated away by Bush who is giving tax money back rather than hire a bunch of lackeys to give it away to New York. I am surprised that her mom and pop didn't get a better speech writer for her,,this tripe is downright embarassing. And BTW can "innocence" be used a a plural? I would have said "much innocense" rather than "Many innocenses"..but then I have some innocense left.

[NYCVirago]

It's at least one mile away, using the old standard of 20 uptown blocks=one mile. On 9/11 the "frozen zone" was right at 14th, and a couple days later days later it was moved down to Canal St. I'll try to find a map.

According to Yahoo, it's approximately 3 miles. And we don't know if her friend's apartment was above or below 14th Street. Either way, though, Chelsea wasn't in the least bit of danger.

[B4Ranch]

Whoever wrote, "Here's Chelsea, at age one, with her Moooommy, HRC I" sure hasn't been around calves very much! Try 3 to 4 months.

[mountaineer]

Apparently, Talk Magazine is just trying to be bi-partisan, as this month's issue features Giuliani: I guess Chelsea's epic tome will be in the December issue.

[cardinal4]

Maybe she can enroll in a remedial 'readin'ritin'rithmetic class at Oxford.