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Hillary's Chief Strategist Promotes Trade Deal with Colombia While Hillary Opposes It

April 04, 2008 9:36 AM

It's been interesting to watch Clinton senior strategist Mark Penn advance the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, while retaining his lucrative job as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide.

You may recall former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC, once likened Penn to Karl Rove noting that Penn's firm once represented the private contractor Blackwater, adding, "we don't want to replace a group of corporate Republicans with a group of corporate Democrats."

Burson's lobbying subsidiary BKSH helped Blackwater's top executive, Erik Prince, prepare for his congressional testimony.

Since then, Penn's firm has also represented the company that made Aquadots, the toy beads coated with a chemical that when ingested metabolizes into gamma hydroxy butyrate, better known as the "date rape" drug. (Two kids in the US who swallowed Aqua Dots went into non-responsive comas, though both have since emerged. Aqua Dots have been pulled from the shelves.)

A Burson official told me at the time that "Mark has never had any contact with this client. We have thousands of clients around the world and this is one of them."

But today we learn from the Wall Street Journal's Susan Davis that on Monday Penn met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson, to discuss how to promote the U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement pending before Congress which Penn's candidate, Clinton, says she opposes.

"We've got to have new trade policies before we have new trade deals," Clinton said on Tuesday to the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. "That includes no trade deal with Colombia while violence against trade unionists continues in that country."

The Clinton campaign said Penn's meeting was under the auspices of his work at Burson Marsteller Worldwide, and that Clinton opposes the trade deal.

Awkward, to say the least.

- jpt

April 4, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (26)

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Posted by: GS | Apr 4, 2008 4:04:29 PM

Hillary is against any unilateral trade agreements PERIOD. I would like Hillary to sure get rid of stupid people from her campaign .. which include this guy.

Also he never said to Columbia that Hillary sent him or he is on behalf of Hillary.

Posted by: GS | Apr 4, 2008 4:01:18 PM

It seems obvious to me that Mark Penn has thrown in the towel and Hillary will end up under the bus. Hillary, like Huckabee will be the last one to concede it's over. Or maybe Bill.

Posted by: jon sid | Apr 4, 2008 3:18:27 PM

Dogsoldier - part 1 was posted today on this site at 9:36 a.m.

Posted by: Brianna | Apr 4, 2008 3:11:01 PM

Shame on Hillary.

First NAFTA we HAFTA and now this. Everybody does know that Hillary vociferously opposes trade deal in EVEN numbered years, but is a hardcore supporter of trade deals in ODD years don't you all?

Shame on Hillary. SHAME.

Posted by: The Commander Guy | Apr 4, 2008 3:04:12 PM

Here is what Hillary said in Ohio:

Here is what she said:

“If you come to Ohio and you go give speeches that are very critical of NAFTA… and then we find out that your chief economic adviser has gone to a foreign government and basically done the old wink-wink – ‘Don’t pay any attention, this is just political rhetoric’ — I think that raises serious questions…

“I would ask you to look at this story and substitute my name for Sen. Obama’s name and see what you would do with this story… Just ask yourself [what you would do] if some of my advisers had been having private meetings with foreign governments.“


In Obama's case it was an unpaid advisor, in Hillary's it is the guy who make more money than anyone else in her campaign and from all reports runs it.

Posted by: radster | Apr 4, 2008 12:01:36 PM

GS,
Because that is between the church and it's former pastor, not between the government and him.

Posted by: Thinking | Apr 4, 2008 11:49:31 AM

It's all over she can't win, her supporters know it, and are begining to cover their tracks. Nice try Hillary.

Posted by: Thinking | Apr 4, 2008 11:27:40 AM

Vanessa,

Alleged? (To assert without proof.) C'mon, you can do better than that.

Well, on second thought, you probably can't because it isn't true. Hillary will promote a renogotiated fair trade agreement and steer this country back onto a prosperious and bright economic path. Obama? Not so much.

Posted by: SadStateOfAffairs | Apr 4, 2008 11:24:12 AM

Nice try Vanessa. But, this article only says "someone" from the Hillary campaign. No sources, no names, no facts.

But, this is much better dialogue. No?

Posted by: SadStateOfAffairs | Apr 4, 2008 11:04:24 AM

People at Obama's camp goes behind Obama and make deals all the time---- it's just that they are better at hiding it than the Hillary camp.... Obama currently has more money to spread to keep the news down and the schmears thick. PLUS--------Obama has alot of skeleton in his closet--- ( read his book-- Dreams of my Father ) this guy is not stable..... he is very insecure. I do not want an insecure, potentially haboring racist dude to be the President. This job is too important to hand over to a guy this inexperienced.


He should stick to writing more books ( as we all know pays weel for him ) and lecturing at Universities, while voting "Present" as a part time Senator.

Note to Obamabots---no matter how much money you send to Obama--- it will not CHANGE who he really is,Axelrod can re-package Obama all he wants, you just can not CHANGE who Obama really is.... WHO REALLY IS HE ?? (oh yeah----a blank screen we can all project ourselves onto --- ALL THIS MONEY FOR A BLANK SCREEN??!!)

Posted by: carpenter.nyc | Apr 4, 2008 11:02:08 AM

If no Hillary it will be McCain.

Let Obama serve in the Senate for one more term before dreaming to become the President.

FYI - I also want to be President, I have 6 years working for a community service organization.

Posted by: GS | Apr 4, 2008 11:02:02 AM

Hillary has proved herself to be a liar -ie. Bosnia - and a racist over and over again. There is no way she will win and if she does - it will be just more of the same - see GWB It is time for a change!

Change has to happen or it is over for this country - In a few years the largest employer for this country will be China or India. Think about it!

Posted by: cjr1360 | Apr 4, 2008 10:49:28 AM

No...whil;e she SAYS she opposes it....much like she is lying about not supporting NAFTA when we all now know she did. Those poor gullible people in PA who have really suffered under NAFTA. Now they are going to vote for her and all the while she is selling them out again. If anyone thinks that Mark Penn does not carry sway with Hillary you better think again. The calls for her to fire him have been great and everyone has wondered why she hasn't....now we may be seeing why she hasn't. They have big plans...
One does NOT employ someone whose job in life is to work against you. Common sense. Let's hope that PA, NC and IN have people who have some.

Posted by: Deanna | Apr 4, 2008 10:41:03 AM

It's over Hillary. You've worked like a veteran pitbull to convince voters that you and Bill are entitled to another 8 years in the White House, and that you think that Obama is the devil himself, reincarnated. It's time for a new generation to step up and make the leadership changes necessary to turn this great country around. It doesn't matter what happens in the Pennsylvania primary this month. There won't be a blowout in your favor, and it doesn't matter any more whether you win by a small margin or respectable margin. The people, Obama endorsers, and the superdelegates (and their numerous small donations) have spoken loudly- Obama '08.

Posted by: rco | Apr 4, 2008 10:38:51 AM

Dan,

Where's your proof regarding Hillary and NAFTA?

Posted by: SadStateOfAffairs | Apr 4, 2008 10:36:12 AM

BeeBop,

Nice catch! Seems Barack has been attracking many a potty mouth lately. Hanoi Jane was the latest to endorse. But then, for those of us who blog here, this isn't really NEWS since we see immature, vile attacks from Obama supporters on a pretty regular basis.

Unemployment up to 5.1% and growing rapidly. Office vacancies pushing the 30% mark. Hillary is the only one who has the wherewithall, plan and the ability to implement a renegotiated free trade agreeement. Obama? Not so much. His people are too busy telling Canada not to listen to his campaign rhetoric. Nice.

Posted by: SadStateOfAffairs | Apr 4, 2008 10:34:12 AM

She can't control Bill, and she won't reign in or fire Penn who single handedly has destroyed her campaign. She might of had a chance if she had competent people around her, but clearly she's incapable, of controlling her surrogates, be it her paid staff or insufferable "husband." This just shows how unprepared to manage or lead she truly is.

Posted by: cba | Apr 4, 2008 10:30:20 AM

Canadian government reported Hillary's campaign called and told them to ignore Hillary's NAFTA talk.
I guess we now know Penn is the one who called them.

Hillary's campaign managers all have ties to corruption. Unfortunately, the media hasn't covered this story until today.

Williams is on the board of a leading sub-prime mortgage company.
Wolfson works for a company representing big pharmaceuticals.
Bill Clinton has made millions of dollars in an offshore investment company (translation tax shelter for the wealth).

Posted by: Dan | Apr 4, 2008 10:30:12 AM

I opposes it>>>>>>>sure you do lair,she says this out to the public but behind closed door she is all for it Two faced liar gadsssss wise up people she misspoke, she misunderstood, she has been this way all her life knows no different and she belives herself scaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Posted by: h | Apr 4, 2008 10:23:06 AM

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