The headline is that Hillary Clinton’s chief political strategist, Mark Penn, has quit after revelations he was serving as a lobbyist for a free trade treaty with Colombia….the problem being that the very same treaty is something candidate Clinton is opposed to.

Whether Penn quit, or, was more likely shoved, hardly matters. At this late stage of the campaign, no one can seriously believe that Clinton won’t continue to get his political advice.

That said, one can only wonder how someone as allegedly smart as Penn could end up being so damn stupid?

Did he not have any idea how badly he could hurt his own candidate should it get out–as it was bound to do –that he was working at cross purposes with his boss?

Pennsylvania primary

April 22nd could very well be Clinton’s Waterloo –a defeat there (or not a big enough win over Barack Obama) could and probably will bring her bid for the White House to a dramatic close.

While her campaign will no doubt spin this as proof that Clinton is willing to jettison even the most royal of aides if they are caught working against her interests, Obama and McCain will no doubt cite this as a glaring example of a lapse of judgment on Clinton’s part.

And, there’s irony for you: Mark Penn may go down in the history books as the Clinton top advisor who helped get Barack Obama elected President of the United States.