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Mark Penn Fired - By Government of Colombia

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April 05, 2008 2:09 PM

ABC's Eloise Harper reports: The Colombian government has fired Burson Marsteller, a firm run by Mark Penn (Clinton chief strategist), for calling his deal with them an error in judgment.

The story is that Mark Penn was hired by the Columbian government to ensure that a Colombian trade deal was passed -- one that President Bush supports but that Sen. Clinton has made clear that she opposes.

When it was revealed publicly that Penn was involved in helping the Colombian government secure the passage of the trade deal, the Clinton campaign released a statement from Penn Friday saying, "The meeting was an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."

Here is the release from the Columbian government:

The Colombian Government announces its decision to terminate the contract with Burson Marteller. This firm conducts public relations and communications consulting services on behalf of Colombia in the United States for the approval of the Free Trade Agreement and the continuation of Plan Colombia.

Mr. Mark Penn, President and CEO of Burson Marsteller, reponded to claims by Union representatives who questioned his relationship with the Colombian Government by declaring that it was an "error in judgment" to meet with his client the Colombian Ambassador on March 31. The Colombian government considers this a lack of respect to Colombians, and finds this response unacceptable.

The firm was retained by the Colombian Embassy in Washington in March of 2007 based on its track record in the field of Public Relations.

The Colombian Government will continue its efforts to show to different sectors in the United States, the dramatic improvements in the country's economy, social and security indicators, and will continue its efforts to obtain a favorable vote on the pending Free Trade Agreement with the United States, for greater wellbeing and prosperity for all.

April 5, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (32)

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This whole situation is HILARIOUS!

Before Hillary was bashing Obama by saying that some members of his campaign team go to foreign governments and tell something other than what Obama says at home.

That was her rallying cry in Ohio and early on in Pennsylvania because of Goolsbee gate and Samantha Powers. Now that it is apparent that Hillary's chief strategist went to the Colombian government to help broker a trade deal when she says at home that she opposes it, it is so hypocritical.

Hillary is lucky that Obama most likely won't be making an issue of it. However, the media just might.

Posted by: Maritza | Apr 5, 2008 2:40:54 PM

This whole situation is HILARIOUS!

Before Hillary was bashing Obama by saying that some members of his campaign team go to foreign governments and tell something other than what Obama says at home.

That was her rallying cry in Ohio and early on in Pennsylvania because of Goolsbee gate and Samantha Powers. Now that it is apparent that Hillary's chief strategist went to the Colombian government to help broker a trade deal when she says at home that she opposes it, it is so hypocritical.

Hillary is lucky that Obama most likely won't be making an issue of it. However, the media just might.

Posted by: Maritza | Apr 5, 2008 2:41:01 PM

I'm a Hillary supporter and I would have fired Penn back in Iowa for his lack of knowledge and lack of understanding about caucuses and the need for a ground game plan. I wrote the Clinton campaign back then and suggested it then and ever since. The guy is an outright idiot and fat.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 5, 2008 2:53:08 PM

Imagine all the scandals that would transpire if Hill were actually to become president...

We would be ashamed for four years!
And the whole world would be looking on...

Posted by: outragious008 | Apr 5, 2008 2:55:48 PM

Dog Soldier
Have you asked yourself why she hasnt fired Him? I read to day on another site that The President of that country Bill has been Courting?
I'll lay you odds if Hillary wins the nomination And the Presidency he will be back on the Payroll. Along with Hill.

Posted by: Lauren | Apr 5, 2008 2:58:58 PM

Wow, Dogsoldier! Finally something we agree on!!! I'm impressed!

Obama 2008 -- Yes, WE CAN!!!

Posted by: Jackt51 | Apr 5, 2008 2:59:57 PM

BKMC
I am afraid you are wrong i believe it will be a bottomless pit.
But as we all no snakes do live in pits.
Now shes asking North Dakotans to switch the pledges to her,,snake would
a good word for her.
The rich only get richer while the poor get poorer

Posted by: Lauren | Apr 5, 2008 3:05:03 PM

Lauren, you are right that it will be a bottomless pit. Hill is saying in ND that pledged delegates as a result of people's vote does not count. She is losing her mind, let us call more Bosnian snipers for some help here. Putting Hillary in the White House will be a serious mistake, a lack of judgement. The Clintons are rich and do not have any problem with rich people, to the contrary, they will invite FAT CATS to come and sleep in the Lincoln bedroom and pay them in return. Bill will be the new Hotel Manager at the White House. What a shame, what a shame, seeing Hill with crocodile tires saying "I want to help the poor". God bless America and God bless Obama. OBAMA08.

Posted by: BKMC | Apr 5, 2008 3:15:47 PM

I have no problem criticizing the Hillary campaign at any time. That's the beauty of it all. Now, it's equally true neither Hillary nor Obama give a crap about what I say otherwise Hillary at least would have fired that fat idiot. Loyalty is a fine trait in a friend but not at the possible expense of my country. I have a problem with that. Like I wrote Clinton today sometimes you have to choose. Today is one of those days.

Posted by: Dogsoldier | Apr 5, 2008 3:21:43 PM

Dogsoldier,it is time for you to join us and support Obama to beat McCain as a drum come November 08. You said that loyalty is a fine trait in a friend, but if the friendship is based on money laundering, that loyalty becomes even stronger. That is not a healthy loyalty and please understand that Hill is loyal to herself and the people she can use, remember poor Vincent Foster. Please join us to win the White House. God bless America and God bless Obama. OBAMA08.

Posted by: BKMC | Apr 5, 2008 3:30:30 PM

Well there is very little to debate. Just sit back and watch Hillary self destruct.

Better now then later

Obama08

Posted by: Thinking | Apr 5, 2008 3:40:21 PM

do we believe hill?
Do we thinks she is on the takes ? yes
Do we think she is fit to be President? NO
Will hillary help the poor? noooo
Will Barack change the way things are done with the Peoples help? YES
Will Barack take money from Lobbyist?NO
Will Barack be a strong commander ?yes

Posted by: lauren | Apr 5, 2008 3:48:33 PM

she is only hoping there is buyers remorse. boy she will be surprised when she doesn't find that many.
I wonder of those who support her have buyers remorse. There is at last count3 who have said if she can not get the numbers they will support Barack vigorously .
And I say GOOD FOR THEM.

Posted by: lauren | Apr 5, 2008 3:54:12 PM

WestCoastMessenger,

In your message to Vanessa, you wrote:

"HILLARY GIVES PLENTY TO CHARITY."

The bulk of the Clintons charity donations go to their foundation. How fulfilling and pleasant is it to donate to oneself. I think we all do that :o)

Also, to BKMC you write:

OBAMA DOESN'T WANT ALL VOTES TO BE COUNTED.

It is not clear to me if you are a spokesperson of the campaign, but I think it is fair to say that you don't change the rules in the middle of the game; especially when things *aren't* going your way.
THAT'S CALLED C-H-E-A-T-I-N-G.

Posted by: Lance D. | Apr 5, 2008 3:55:13 PM

I think having Mark Penn still handling her disastrous campaign is not good for Hillary's reputation as a leader. Considering how they have sought to muddy Bill Richardson, it's clear that loyalty to them is more important than performance or ability.

Posted by: Carl | Apr 5, 2008 3:55:38 PM

Why didn't Hillary fire Mark Penn. He has never been good for her campaign. She needs to get over the extreme loyalty thing. Sure you need people you can trust, but you also need efficient people who understand winning.

Posted by: Sarah | Apr 5, 2008 4:00:52 PM

Lauren: Clinton precedes this story with the significant disclaimer that it was told to her by a deputy sheriff - who happened to learn of it from the woman's family. Of course the hospital wouldn't provide details to her campaign or to anyone for that matter. Haven't you heard about the HIPPA law. The hospital cited this in refusing to provide additional details about this tragic case.

And in case you don't get it the hospital is trying to protect itself and its image. Of course, they are going to deny events as they've been reported.

This story continues to resonate though because we're all aware these days that hospitals can and do refuse treatment.

At Michelle Obama's own hospital, by the way, they routinely sent unpaid bills to uninsured people at 300 % mark up (i.e., if Medicare or an insurer would reimburse $ 100 for a service, the hospital billed people who couldn't even pay that, $ 300.00. Then, when those bills were unpaid, they sikked collection agencies on them - and encouraged these poor people to use credit cards to discharge their debts. All this information will be revealed.

Your candidate, Obama shows fake, inauthentic concern for the poor. When he and his wife had an opportunity to really do something for inner-city poor people, they didn't.

Posted by: morningside | Apr 5, 2008 4:01:52 PM

all hospitals do that. So check it out as a fact that she Michele controls.
For those who might believe that staement call your local Hospitals and ask them . They will tell you it common practice.
Cant win must slam others for my mistakes

Posted by: lauren | Apr 5, 2008 4:12:56 PM

Thats a cheap shot against people giving magnanimously to charity, who work in partnership with the Gates Foundation to eliminate malaria around the world, to tackle Aids, and to take on global warming. How much did Obama give to charity? Do you even know? It was less than a tenth of a per cent of his income. I'd worry more about the cheapskate than the people that gave 10 per cent.

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Apr 5, 2008 4:15:06 PM

JUdgement - yes to the war.
Experiennce - we got off the plane.
Lying to the People - Its the right wing
Selling out jobs -Tata consultancy Service.
Been Vetted - Loan money to her brothers who had to pay back the money they got for the Pardons .
Trustworthy - Her great story telling abilities
Barack Obama will be the new President


Posted by: lauren | Apr 5, 2008 4:20:23 PM

Yikes Lauren, I think perhaps I got what you were trying to say about hospitals. Translation: All hospitals mark up bills to the uninsured by 300 %. Do I understand you that THAT makes it right - all hospitals do it! I thought the Obamas were the change candidates!

Tell that to people in Chicago fielding collection calls from Michelle's old employer while he tries to convince voters that he really, really, really wants to improve things for the uninsured.

Posted by: morningside | Apr 5, 2008 4:25:41 PM

and Lance, both campaigns have used stories not "vetted" to illustrate their positions. You Obama people just can't stand that stories about Mark Penn and Clinton's income and taxes aren't getting any traction.

Did voters care about Teresa Heinz Kerry's billionaire status 4 years ago? No, but I seem to remember that they really couldn't stand her personality. Could the Democratic Party be ready to make the same mistake twice - nominate someone -not only who hectors people but is anti-american to boot? Stay tuned.

Posted by: morningside | Apr 5, 2008 4:32:18 PM

Lance D,
Nothing but the facts dude. I'd rather have BKMC's spin about the sniper comment from Hillary's Bosnia trip, than Obama's judgement about placing the hate-speakig Wright on his campaign for ONLY A YEAR!
========================================
Obama kept Wright on campaign for a year
Obama is judgement-challenged!
Obama is politically immature!
========================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Apr 5, 2008 4:35:03 PM

How many of you blue collar voters got any money from the Clintons in the past 7 years? The Clintons averaged over 14 million dollars a year. The only thing that Hillary has in common with the blue collars workers of america;is when she wears clothes with a blue collar. This promise about a poverty czar' well this is would be another nonfunctional governmental bureaucracy with a lot of kickbacks unfortunately not in the direction of the american people.

Obama 08 !

Posted by: merle7 | Apr 5, 2008 4:36:59 PM

Yeah, I'm really getting that Obama is the candidate of the working class. Where did you get that idea? When information about his financial supporters is revealed it will show huge amounts of money from people employed by registered lobbyists as well as wall street types. You know, those who are gaming the market at the expense of working and middle class people.

The teenybopper Obama supporters have no clue that an Obama presidency will reward Wall Street. Kids like you will be bunking a lot longer with Mom and Dad - unable to get out on your own. He is incapable of pushing an economic agenda to help average people.

Posted by: morningside | Apr 5, 2008 4:45:19 PM

Lauren:

do we believe hill? Yes, we do.
Do we thinks she is on the takes ? No, we don't.
Do we think she is fit to be President? Yes we do.
Will hillary help the poor? She has for years.
Will Barack change the way things are done with the Peoples help? Nope, cause he won't be elected. At least not with the help of Hillary's supporters.

Will Barack take money from Lobbyist?He has 9 of them on his payroll, and takes money from them already.

Will Barack be a strong commander ?Nope. Catch the interview on Hardball last night? Says 9-11 wasn't predictable, when Bill Clinton had already told them Al Qaeda was the number one threat to the US, and the FBI has already reported suspicous activity involving planes, and the list goes on and on. Still says you can't predict what they will do. I think it is pretty predictable they will hit the US and our interests whenever and wherever they can.

Posted by: tiredofthiselection | Apr 5, 2008 8:41:35 PM

Westcoast messenger,

Remember the rules. If Obama was able to campaign in Michigan and Florida, he might have well won them. Hill has name recognition. Ok, then let us forget about those for a minute. If Hill is so concerned about Michigan and Florida getting their say, then why is she advocating that delegates can vote against the will of the people? What's the point in the any state voting?

Posted by: gayle in California | Apr 5, 2008 10:48:10 PM

Obama had an AD in FL eventhough he did not campaign overthere.

Posted by: crisis08 | Apr 6, 2008 12:08:13 AM

Crisis08,

And thank goodness he did have just ONE ad, since Hillary didn't follow suit with all the other candidates. Imagine what the vote would have been without the one ad. Now, just imagine, if he would have had a fair shot at winning. LOL

Posted by: gayle in California | Apr 6, 2008 1:16:28 AM

She's totally bungled her own campaign. We should be grateful is not the country the one she's wrecking.

Posted by: alreds | Apr 7, 2008 2:27:49 AM

Penn is right!

Clinton and Obama and Pelosi are wrong.

When the Democrats do something really stupid - they have no equal.

Colombia is not our enemy - Venezuela is.
The Democrats have a huge problem with enemy identification. They make Gump look bright: Stupid is what stupid does!

Posted by: Lance | Apr 7, 2008 7:04:28 AM

If the media doesnt sweep this one under the rug, this Colombia deal should be the nail in the coffin for the Sillary and Bill
show. This is major stuff. Why did Daddy Bush initiate the Colombia Plan and why did Bill make sure it was signed into law? Does it go back to the Iran Contra days and the smuggling at Mena Airport while Bill was governor? This is deep caca, folks!!! Google away!!!

Posted by: TNP | Apr 7, 2008 4:24:37 PM

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