Mark Penn Leaves Hillary's Campaign - Note The Camel Backbreaking Straw

Sunday, April 06, 2008

HILLARY CLINTON

The chances of Hillary Clinton quitting before the voting is over is nil - Bill Clinton is off to Puerto Rico on Monday.

But with the departure of Mark Penn from formal leadership the Hillary campaign, resigning as chief strategist, it suddenly doesn't seem unthinkable that Hillary Clinton might throw in the towel before the Democratic convention in Denver.

With this move, Hillary gave the unions de facto authority to fire her campaign staff. Lefties of various sorts have complained about Penn since the beginning of Hillary's campaign; the ultra-connected consultant has had a bulls-eye on his back since day one. Hillary (and presumably Bill) stuck with him because they felt that his pugnacious, poll-watching, methodical manner was the best bet to getting the nomination. With only a few states remaining, it's a little late for a new and different approach. This was the candidate knuckling under to outside forces howling over the chief strategist's misdeed.

And what an unforgivable sin it is! Keep in mind, we've now seen what it takes to get Hillary's chief stategist canned. Not discussing a future of "Boys and Girls and Other Club of America" in his book, nor declaring that America has to get past "the melting pot myth." Not declaring that illegal immigrants and their relatives may be the most powerful political force in America. Not botching Iowa, not steering onto the rocks in South Carolina, not failing to be prepared in all the smaller caucus states. Not complaining about Dennis Kucinich getting the easy questions in the debates. Not losing ten or eleven states in a row. Not when sensitive lefties throught the original "3 a.m." ad hitting Obama on national security was playing too rough.

Nope, what gets you kicked off Team Hillary is meeting with an ambassador of a U.S. ally to hear him out regarding a trade deal. Should Penn have informed Hillary he was doing so? Sure, and had she objected, he shouldn't have gone forward with the meeting. But in the catalog of bad moves by Penn, this was a ticky-tack foul, and it's revealing that now Hillary heeds the calls for his dismissal and accepts his resignation.

If a faction outside the Clintons' inner circle can force her hand on Penn, then they can force her hand on departing the race... when the time is right.

04/06 09:36 PM Share