As she was crisscrossing the state last week in her battle with Sen. Barack Obama for the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former first lady, took a moment to discuss the joys and frustrations of public life, her daughter and her old nemesis, Richard Mellon Scaife. Mr. Obama also has been invited for an interview with Breakfast With ...

Q: Not strategically, but emotionally, how has Chelsea helped you during this long campaign?

A: Well, it's been wonderful having her travel with me, which she did a lot at the beginning of this year. Just having her around, getting her feedback, just being able to kick back with her at the end of the day has been a gift. She has a very busy, full life of her own. Then she decided she wanted to go campaign on her own for me.

Q: You didn't have to beg her?

A: No, I was surprised. I really was because she's never done that before. She decided she wanted to go out and talk to young people and answer their questions and present my record and my positions on issues. So she's now done, I think, 100 appearances for me, mostly at college campuses around the country.

Q: After you knew you won Ohio and turned around and saw her come up on the stage, there seemed to be a moment between you.

A: Ah, yes, well it's overwhelming to me. You know, as a mom, you look at your child and all these images flash through your mind. You know, first day of school, graduation from high school, funny experiences. That's how I feel every time I see her. I am a little taken aback that this beautiful, adult woman is my little girl. So whenever I'm with her, I'm sort of transported back in time to ... lots of good memories.

Q: So you sat down with Richard Mellon Scaife, owner of the Greensburg-based Tribune Review Publishing Co., who was so antagonistic toward the Clinton administration. Did you want to just ask him, "What was that all about?"

A: Well, I don't know him that well. I had a chance to go to the editorial board meeting. I was curious. You know, people have their own reasons for whatever they do, but I've also lived long enough to know there is a lot of thinking that goes on in someone's life, and maybe he decided he wanted to get a better view of me.

Q: If you were elected president, who would take over the traditional first lady duties? I can't see Bill checking the place cards at a state dinner?

A: [Laughing] There's such a great staff at the White House and, of course, I would bring in a wonderful social secretary, who would coordinate everything. But, I would probably continue to check the place cards because there's a long tradition of making sure that the White House is welcoming and gracious. I wouldn't have a lot of time to do it, but occasionally, I'm sure my daughter would help out, my mother would help out.

Q: How have the challenges in your marriage shaped who you are today?

A: Well, I think every experience that I've had has contributed to making me who I am today. When you go through something that's difficult, no matter what it is, you just are so overwhelmed by it. If you come out of it and you are fortunate enough to have learned from it and gained a sense of your own humanity and understanding of the world, it's hard to say, "Oh, I wish that hadn't happened."

Q: What event in your life most shook you to the core?

A: Well, obviously what I went through in the White House and 9/11. One was intensely personal but made public; and one was public but made personal.

Q: What frustrates you the most about how you are perceived by some people?

A: I don't think that they have any real basis for a lot of what they say or believe. I understand sometimes it's like unavoidable when you are in the public eye, and people are looking at you from afar. But what is really encouraging to me is how people constantly say, "You're not what I thought you were." That really is reassuring. I work hard to be the kind of person that is a good friend, a good family member, a good public servant. You know, those who know me are often bewildered sometimes by the perception of me. I keep in touch with all my old college friends. It keeps you sane.

Q: When you were a child visiting your relatives in Scranton, do you think they could have ever imagined you'd be back in the state running for president?

A: [Laughing] No. No. My family was very traditional. My grandfather, my uncles, my great uncles and great aunts were just very solid people. I'm so sorry my late father, who died in 1993, [isn't here] because I would have loved to hear his running commentary about all this. But my mother's still with me, so I have that.