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September 6, 2008 2:39:44 AM CDT

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Clinton Staff Glad to See Penn's Exit

Posted Apr 7, 08 10:27 AM CDT in Politics 

(Newser) – Mark Penn might have shaped the Clinton campaign, but he wasn’t well liked within it, Ben Smith writes in Politico. Some blamed him for the campaign's strategic blunders, while others were irked by his huge salary—he’s billed Clinton $13 million—and private-sector distractions. “It was very demoralizing for the staff that's working 24/7 to see him doing book tours,” said one Clinton supporter.

It was Penn who advocated policy over passion, once reportedly quipping that “being human is overrated.” But insiders don’t think his departure will trigger a shift in message. “This was … not a referendum on his strategic vision,” said one Clinton aide. Instead, Clinton will likely stick with Penn’s red-telephone strategy, attacking Barack Obama’s experience and electability.

Source Politico

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Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., cups her ear as reporters ask her about Mark Penn, the pollster and senior strategist for Clinton's presidential bid who left the campaign Sunday.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Mark Penn, then a pollster for former President Bill Clinton, is seen in this Feb. 3, 1998 file photo, in New York.   (AP Photo/The New York Times, Librado Romero, File)
Penn talks to reporters following a debate in New Hampshire in this file photo.   (Getty Images (by Event) Individuals)
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