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Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 6942
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 08:18 pm: | 
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Hillary Clinton strategist quits amid Colombia trade flap
Sun Apr 6, 2008 7:32pm EDT
By Ellen Wulfhorst
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A top campaign aide to Sen. Hillary Clinton, under fire for meeting with a Colombian diplomat to discuss a free trade deal that the presidential candidate opposes, quit his post on Sunday, the campaign 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," Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement.
She said Penn would continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign.
News of Penn's March 31 meeting with Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco Isakson, in which they discussed a free trade deal, first surfaced on Friday.
Penn apologized for the meeting, which he held in his separate role as chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, a lobbying firm hired by the South American country to help win the approval by the U.S. Congress of a free trade agreement with the United States.
But the issue plagued the campaign of the New York senator, who is vying with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama to become the Democratic nominee to run against Republican John McCain in the November election.
Skepticism about free trade runs deep among the working-class voters Clinton and Obama are courting, and both Democratic candidates oppose the deal with Colombia.
The president of the politically powerful Teamsters union, James Hoffa, said on Saturday that Penn's meeting with the Colombian officials undermined Clinton's stance on labor and trade issues.
"How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top advisor is being paid by Colombia to promote it?" he asked in a statement.
Obama also has criticized Clinton saying she has close ties to lobbyists who might undue influence shaping policies, should she become president.
The controversy prompted an angry reaction from Colombia, which took offense at Penn's statement in which he called the meeting "an error in judgment."
The Colombian Embassy in Washington announced it was ending its contract with Burson-Marsteller, which had been hired a year ago.
The Clinton campaign has asserted that Penn's meeting was "independent of the campaign."
The two Democratic candidates have been sparring over the issue of trade, with each questioning the other's credibility in their pledges to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0642976020080406 |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6553
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 12:35 pm: |
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And she slogs on--comparing herself to Rocky.
In the first movie didn't the black man kick his ass? |
Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 6945
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 02:36 pm: |
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She doesn't have a chance. Her vow to win by any means necessary---this vow to steal from a young black man who worked hard in the minds of many to earn the most states/the most delegates---is making her look more and more like the white candidate and not the woman candidate she once was; which was the one card she once had. (Her lead's been cut to 7 in Pa., btw.)
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 12023
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 02:48 pm: |
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Hillary is obviously going to go down on her own terms. She will not be forced out, or bullied. She is going to voluntarily leave when she's ready. |
Robynmarie
Veteran Poster
Username: Robynmarie
Post Number: 769
Registered: 04-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 11:41 pm: |
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It was reported today that Senator Obama has spent the most $$$ in Penn, ever of any candidate for any office. Senator Obama is flush with cash, and Hillary is struggling, according to the media.
Senator Obama should win Penn with no problem, and HRC would probably withdraw. If HRC wins, why should she quit? |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6565
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 01:22 pm: |
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Obama can't win if he ain't alive to take office--beware. He needs to stay out of small planes and watch himself in crowds. |
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