DAY’S END ROUNDUP

The blogs continue to examine Paul Begala’s “contempt” for Mark Penn, who was officially demoted from his chief strategist position with the Hillary Clinton campaign but continues to serve as an advisor. It seems Begala isn’t the only one annoyed with Penn.

Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central has a post from a group of unions supporting Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) who have written a letter to the New York Senator demanding she sever “all ties with Mark Penn” because of his consulting work for Colombia. Sargent writes, “there’s no evidence” the Obama campaign is “orchestrating” but it’s obvious that Penn, and Hillary’s refusal to get rid of him once and for all, is a gift that keeps on giving for the Obama camp.

Former President Bill Clinton’s Bosnia flap continues to grab a lot of attention. Rich Lowry at The Corner attempts to answer the broader question of why Bill Clinton would do this. Lowry writes the former President is “so used to getting away with it, that it’s impossible to stop.”

The Bosnia story is starting to fizzle, but another Clinton story is picking up steam. As The Swamp reports, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (D) “nearly endorsed” Hillary Clinton until a few stern phone calls from Clinton supporters pushed him in the other direction. A few of the callers reportedly questioned Richardson’s honor. “That really ticked me off,” the former Clinton Administration official said.

Stepping back from the campaign trail, the blogs are weighing in on the not-so-warm reception that Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), the newest member of Congress, received. The House GOP earned a stern rebuke from liberal bloggers. Daily Kos blogger mcjoan writes that if the disruption of the service for the late Tom Lantos wasn’t bad enough, House Republicans “decided to greet Lantos’s successor, Jackie Speier with another display of childish petulance.”

FROM THE BLOGS:
How Ugly Can This Get – mcjoan, Daily Kos
More Fair NYT Coverage – Soren Dayton, RedState
Yoo Wasn’t Decider – Paul Keil, TPM Muckracker
McCain’s War Cabinet – Think Progress
Senate Fundraising Roundup – Jonathan Singer, MyDD
Cheneys Are $2.5 Mill Couple – The Swamp
Why Bill Does It – Rick Lowry, The Corner
Lott Learns To Use Metro Card – Allahpundit – Hot Air
Clintonites ‘Ticked Off’ Richardson – The Swamp
Begala And Penn – Sam Stein, The Huffington Post
How House Dems Spell Defeat – absntee, RedState
Unions Want Penn Out – Greg Sargent, TPM Election Central

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Bush’s Favor To Next President – Washington Post
McCain Aids Brief GOP Staffers – The Hill
Welfare Shift – New York Times