Obama: I would have fired Mark Penn

[sabra]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/11/obama-i-would-have-fired-mark-penn/

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (CNN) — Barack Obama told reporters Friday that had top Clinton strategist Mark Penn been on his staff, he would have removed him for having met with the Colombian government to discuss passing a proposed free trade agreement with the nation.

"Let me put it this way," the Illinois senator said. "I'm not surprised that Sen. Clinton found herself in an uncomfortable position as a consequence, and I know that if staff of mine were putting me in that kind of position I would get rid of them."

On the campaign trail Clinton has emphasized her opposition to any trade deal with Colombia.

Obama also added, "I think it was surprising to me that a high ranking, if not the highest ranking, member of Sen. Clinton's team would be engaged in business activities and lobbying that was directly contrary to a position that Sen. Clinton had taken."

...

Earlier in the week, Clinton criticized Obama for not taking similar action against an economic advisor who reportedly told Canadian officials that the Illinois senator's opposition to NAFTA was not as ardent as he was letting on.

"Contrast that to Sen. Obama's campaign where, as far as I know, nothing was ever done when one of his top economic advisers representing the campaign — unlike Mr. Penn who was not representing the campaign — but Mr. Obama's representative told the Canadian government basically not to pay any attention to what Sen. Obama was saying about NAFTA," she told CNN.

[sasquatch]

1. No, you would've never hired him in the first place

[helderheid]

DING DING DING DING!

[sasquatch]

11. Do I get a prize?

:)

[helderheid]

34. President Obama?

:D

[sasquatch]

35. Sounds great

[helderheid]

37. excellent!

[Cha]

16. Yeah, Obama was being

nice.

[celophan012]

38. How do you know he wouldn't have made another "bonehead move"

"bonehead move" is what he called his decision to associate with Tony Rezko.

[sasquatch]

39. I think after Rezko he could see that people like Penn are bad news and dead weight

So you don't associate with them.

[Neshanic]

2. Well first he would of listened to him for twenty years, then say something. Not too harsh though.

[frazzled]

5. The Clintons have been listening to Mark Penn for that long

He has been one of their closest advisers for years.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

20. He didn't give Jeremiah Wright $6 million.

Of donors money no less.

[Life Long Dem]

3. It doesn't seem ethics will come into play with the Clinton campaign n/t.

[DarienComp]

4. Forget Colombia, he should've been fired months ago for being a crappy campaign strategist.

[Moderate-Democrate]

6. Now

He talks about getting rid of people, so why was pastor wright in his camp for so long?

[GarbagemanLB]

7. LOL. Welcome to DU...

[Moderate-Democrate]

13. Thanks

for real I am trying to point out something here. I am not trying to be funny guys so I do not want you to think that I hate Obama. I would have gotten rid of Penn as they did, but I am trying to figure out why Obama was so quick to show judgement on Penn but not on Wright? That is all, I think that is fair.

[SoFlaJet]

17. Wright

was never a part of Obama's campaign-he was his spiritual advisor

[goldcanyonaz]

9. Welcome to DU, MD!

:hi:

[goletian]

24. wright did nothing wrong.

listen to his sermons, if you think wright was doin something wrong, youre uninformed. hes not a racist, nor an antiamerican. shift to the left a little, youre about to fall of the right side of the spin zone.

[nichomachus]

32. There is a world of difference

between supporters and advisers -- most of whom are unpaid and brought in for some specific area of expertise -- and your chief strategist who is running your campaign, determining (wrongly it turns out) the direction of the campaign, and being paid millions of dollars to do it.

[leftofcool]

8. Well, God damn America

[DerekJ]

12. "For killing innocent people ..It's in the bible"

[GarbagemanLB]

14. You forget, intellectually dishonest Hillary supporters love to take things out of context.

[cliffordu]

18. I agree. God Damn America.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

19. God Damn Mark Penn

And every other lowlife scumsucking union buster.

[Binka]

21. Has Anyone Ever Told You That You Are Neither Left Or Cool?

If not let me be the first. :hi:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. and he is saying exactly what HE would do - she should fire bubba too

we can expect lots of these conflicts of interest.

Bill helps many of the interests that Hillary is supposedly
against.

We're stupid enough to be fooled by all this, right?

[cooolandrew]

15. He has every right to call her on this after Power really.

[berni_mccoy]

22. K&R!

[rocktivity]

23. In view of Penn's being a lobbyist for Blackwater

I doubt Obama would have hired him in the first place.

:headbang:
rocknation

[MyNameGoesHere]

25. I would have voted against IWR

I would have stopped funding before I actually funded. I would have voted but didn't because it was easier to vote present.
I would have I would have. But how do we really know?





Why is Superman checking out my ass?

Banned from using a Signature photo.

[goldcanyonaz]

26. I would have also missed the Kyl-Lieberman vote because I was too busy that day.

I'm a busy man!

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MyNameGoesHere]

30. No it isn't, but that kind

of response gets its just due. I am wondering if maybe you could answer the statements i wrote about or is it easier just to infer I am hannity?

Oh never mind i see you are a supporter of the candidate the espouses unity and working together and all that jazz. I understand now that you couldn't help yourself.





Why is Superman checking out my ass?

Banned from using a Signature photo.

[sunnystarr]

31. Your questions have been answered more times than I can count in DU posts

So you're not really looking for answers at all. You're just spreading more uninformed bs that I expect from the Bubba heads I see enough of in TN along with their cousins in Ohio and PA and throughout areas in the South. Hannity and Fox News "educates" them and you - you - who are the reason to fear the masses.

[anonymous171]

27. YES! GOBAMA!

[gal]

29. You left out a few facts..

A reporter actually asked him about it which is why that was brought up.

Canadian officals have also came out and said it was the Clinton camp they were playing politics about the NAFTA deal not Obamas.

[quantass]

33. k&r

[ronnykmarshall]

36. OH MY GOD!!!