Controversial Mark Penn becoming controversy within Clinton campaign

Via Political Wire, found this Newsday piece on Hillary Clinton's guru, Mark Penn. The article is titled "Clinton insiders question top aide's approach." This isn't a negative attack from another campaign. Seems the union-busting CEO of Burson-Marsteller (profiled by Ari Berman in The Nation last May) is coming under fire from within the Hillary campaign. Okay, this is not the kind of press the Clinton team wants to be getting three weeks before the first caucus. These Clinton in-fighting articles have been popping up with more frequency. Ken Bazinet and Thomas DeFrank had one in the NY Daily News yesterday.

It really sounds like some of Clinton's team are running their own negative campaign against Penn. It also sounds like he deserves the criticism. He's taken Hillary from the inevitable nominee to a candidate facing serious obstacles to that nomination:

On the eve of the final Iowa debate before the Jan. 3 caucuses, Clinton campaign insiders are increasingly questioning the cautious, poll-driven approach taken by Mark Penn, Hillary Rodham Clinton's top political aide, sources familiar with the situation say.

With Clinton barely holding her own against Barack Obama and John Edwards in Iowa, dissatisfaction is growing with Penn, who some say has mistakenly run Clinton as a de facto incumbent.

"There are two people who have come up with this strategy -- one Hillary Clinton and one Mark Penn," said a top Clinton ally, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Mark wanted to run her, basically, for re-election, and we are seeing what happened."

Said another Clinton camper: "The heat's on Mark. ... He's got a lot of enemies."

Penn didn't respond to requests for comment. Campaign spokesman Howard Wolfson downplayed the dissent.

Clinton's aides insist that no shake-up is imminent and that Penn still has her ear. But they concede Bill Clinton has taken a more active behind-the-scenes role as her campaign flags.