The XX Factor: What women really think.

Chelsea's Choice

Here's one daughter's-eye view of the daughter now speaking out on the campaign trail: My teenager dismisses the idea that Chelsea suddenly has marching orders. Chelsea never felt she had to speak up or play a political role before, my daughter points out, so it makes sense to assume she's now in the fray because she's decided she wants to be. Perhaps it's worth noting (this is now me, not my daughter) that over in the Obama campaign, kids seem to be calling some key political shots these days. Caroline Kennedy made a point of saluting her teenagers as the galvanizing force behind her endorsement; Sen. Claire McCaskill's 18-year-old daughter pushed her off the fence. I hear similar stuff, again and again: Obama mamas and papas say they've signed up in no small part because he's their teens' candidate and has gotten the kids so excited. Now, I'm not saying Hillary is running because Chelsea urged her to, but with all these young people out there getting credit for being dynamos, I can easily imagine that Chelsea, almost 28 now, decided she'd hung back long enough and wanted in on the action.