One of Hillary Clinton's closest advisors and strategists Mark Penn has stepped down from the campaign as a result of his contacts with the Colombian government over the free trade agreement - an agreement that his candidate opposes but which he has lobbied for on behalf of the Colombians:Penn had been a polarizing figure within the Clinton campaign for months because of his personality as well as his strategic vision, but his departure came as a result of another continuing controversy -- the conflicts of interest that resulted from his representing major clients as president of Burson-Marsteller, the giant public relations firm, while working for Clinton. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Penn had met with Colombia's ambassador to the United States to discuss promotion of a free-trade agreement, one that Clinton opposes. Penn apologized Friday for an "error in judgment," and the Colombian government responded a day later by firing Burson-Marsteller. Clinton...(Read Full Post)