Mark Penn in '08!

The NYTimes reports that Clinton strategist (I want a strategist) Mark Penn has been forced to take a reduced role because his business interests conflict with the Senator's positions:

Mr. Penn met with the Colombians in his role as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations firm. He has refused to sever his ties to the company, which also represented Countrywide Financial, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and through a subsidiary represented Blackwater Worldwide, the military contractor blamed for numerous civilian deaths in Iraq.

Sadly, all of Penn's positions seem to be the correct ones -- perhaps Senator Clinton should take a greatly diminished role.

UPDATE: Larry Kudlow points out that Dems + Free Trade = Death Penalty

My pal Jerry Bowyer e-mailed me this morning with the following thought on Clinton bigwig Mark Penn: Free trade among Democrats is so completely dead in the water that any Democratic advisor favoring free trade is subject to the death penalty.

Just take a look at this morning’s New York Sun. Teamster president Jimmy Hoffa is still unhappy with Penn’s demotion, because the Clinton camp still has Penn on the payroll. In other words, Hoffa’s position — which is big labor’s position — is to take the free-trade Mark Penn back behind the barn and shoot him.

Dem2008 Primary Posted by jk at April 7, 2008 10:20 AM