NPR: Top Clinton Aides Finger Point in Public

Top Clinton Aides Finger Point in Public

In what was otherwise a good day for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign -- campaign officials announced she has raised $35 million in February, her best monthly total to date -- the shine was taken off a bit by the public squabbling of two of her top campaign aides.

The New York Daily News reports that "The blame game between chief strategist Mark Penn and her top political svengali, Harold Ickes, has burst into the open as Clinton's poll numbers plunge."

The paper reports that Penn, trying to avoid being faulted for the campaign spending so much money and still being behind, told the New York Observer that ""Every single expenditure is reviewed and approved by the campaign, by Harold Ickes and his team, one by one. I have absolutely no budget authority or any administrative control."

For his part Ickes said Penn was the person the most in charge of the campaign to date.

"Besides Hillary Clinton, he is the single most responsible person for this campaign," Ickes told the paper, adding, "He has called the shots."

When reached last night by the News, Penn was conciliatory.

"All I can say is that we are a strong team working together, and we believe we will be successful," he said

10:00 AM ET | 02-29-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Hilary Clinton could almost guarantee election right now if she took that ??35 million and used it to get children out of poverty rather than on useless political pandering for votes.

All the political parties should be ashamed of themselves with the waste of money...

Sent by Emily | 10:32 AM ET | 02-29-2008

Emily, that is brilliant! Perhaps, you would do a better job of managing her campaign. Can you imagine the goodwill that would be created by such a move???

Any of the candidates could learn from your comment. That is the Climate that we live in today. Actions speak louder than words, Talk is cheap, and PR beats advertising hands down!

Sent by Vi Wickam | 11:16 AM ET | 02-29-2008

To Emily: I agree emphatically with your general outlook, but the problem you point out with our political system is the very reason H. Clinton would certainly not be elected if she did what you suggest. In the US, elections cannot be won without wasting hundreds of millions on pandering for votes.

Statistically speaking, Americans are largely TV-watching fools who believe in the product most advertised, regardless of quality.

Sent by chris | 12:29 PM ET | 02-29-2008

I don't know.. I defintely don't think she should do that with that money. it is not hers to do that with. people gave there hard earned dollars to her with the expectation that she was going to fund her campaign with it. Another thing is how do you end child poverty without giving money to the same irresponsible parents who cause child poverty? And I'm not saying that i think some people would be ok with her spending their money on things they didn't authorize, but i know I wouldn't. If people want to give there money to an organization that helps impoverished kids they have the oppurtunity to do so now(children's miracle network, boys and girls club of America etc;..). A little more food for thought is with all of her experience, if the way her campaign has been run is any indication of how the government under her control would be run, are we sure we can afford her?

Sent by J.A. WILSON | 11:16 PM ET | 02-29-2008

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