Mark Penn resigns position in Clinton's campaign...

From The New York Times:

an excerpt:

By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: April 6, 2008

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

Clinton Campaign Statement

Maggie Williams, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign manager, released the following statement Sunday night:

After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist of the Clinton Campaign; Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.

Geoff Garin and Howard Wolfson will coordinate the campaign's strategic message team going forward.

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. Clinton’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. Clinton’s campaign manager, said, “After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign.”

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. Clinton’s longtime communications director, will coordinate the campaign’s strategic message team going forward.

[Go to NY Times to continue reading]

Wrap...