How Mighty is the Penn?

Pollster Mark Penn is the chief strategist for Hillary Clinton's Presidential ambitions. He also has gotten her in trouble. When not plotting a path to the White House, he serves as "Worldwide CEO and President" of Burson-Marsteller, something that caused some heartburn for Clinton as it emerged that Burson engages in union-busting.

Hillary should prepare for more heartburn. Her chief strategist's newest client? The famed Blackwater USA, the military contractor behind innumerable scandals in Iraq.Frankly, expect this story to light up quickly. When it became clear that Penn was tied to union-busting operations, the dust-up took a little while to register. Penn eventually "recused" himself from that wing of the business (how a 'Worldwide CEO' recuses is a bit of a mystery; perhaps he became 'Nearly Worldwide CEO').

But this is a bigger story, mostly because there's a news hook, Blackwater is hiring the firm because they're in huge trouble right now, and no one doubts that part of these hiring decisions is buying influence.

Heck, when Karl Rove went to work for Bush, the future President made him give up his consulting firm. Why is Clinton unwilling to reign in her brain?