Chief Strategist of Clinton Campaign Steps Down

ALBUQUERQUE â?? Mark Penn, the architect of much of Senator Hillary Rodham Clintonâ??s presidential campaign, has been replaced as the campaignâ??s chief strategist in the wake of revelations that he lobbied on behalf of a trade treaty with Colombia that Mrs. Clinton opposes.

Mr. Penn, who has been associated with Mrs. Clinton and former President Bill Clinton for a dozen years, has come under withering criticism for continuing to consult with clients as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, the international lobbying and public relations firm.

He has also been held responsible for the flawed electoral strategy considered partly responsible for Mrs. Clintonâ??s difficult political position, trailing Senator Barack Obama by more than a hundred delegates and with a very narrow path to winning the Democratic nomination.

In a terse statement, Maggie Williams, Mrs. Clintonâ??s campaign manager, said, â??After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign.â?

His polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign, the statement said.

Geoff Garin, the newly hired pollster, and Howard Wolfson, Mrs. Clintonâ??s longtime communications director, will coordinate the campaignâ??s strategic message team going forward.

Mr. Penn, long a divisive figure within the Clinton camp, lost his pre-eminent position after revelations that he met with Colombiaâ??s ambassador to the United States last Monday in his role as head of Burson-Marsteller. The Colombian government hired the lobbying firm last year under a $300,000 one-year contract to help secure passage of a bilateral trade treaty with the United States.

Mrs. Clinton strongly opposes the treaty, as do many Democrats in Congress and many American trade unions, who believe the treaty is unfair to American workers. Mrs. Clinton has also cited the Colombian governmentâ??s history of suppressing the labor union movement in that country.
Chief Strategist of Clinton Campaign Steps Down - New York Times

One blunder after another........

Have a good one!:s4: