Penn predicted Clinton’s ‘near-death experience’ in September

Mark Penn, a top campaign strategist for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) who has been under heavy fire since the Iowa caucus, predicted months ago that the senator would face a “near-death experience.”

{mosads}Clinton’s stunning win in New Hampshire has resurrected her campaign as headlines have blared, “Back from the Dead” and “She Lives,” among many others.

During an interview on “Nightline” in early September, Penn warned that the then-“sunny” times of the campaign would not last forever.

Penn, Clinton’s chief strategist, said, “Well, you’d never get through one of these primary campaigns without a near-death experience. It’s — it’s never happened.”

At the time, Clinton had a narrow poll lead in Iowa and a 20-point advantage in New Hampshire.

While Clinton’s comeback is the huge political story of the week and perhaps of the year, the triumph over Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is also a major win for Penn.

After Clinton finished third in Iowa, speculation mounted that a campaign shake-up was imminent and that Penn’s job was in jeopardy.