New York Senator and Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton surprised once again those following the presidential contest by ousting Mark Penn, her campaign’s chief strategist, over a trade agreement with Columbia.

Sen. Clinton, as well as the labor unions, opposes such a trade agreement and Penn’s efforts, who allegedly met with representatives of the Colombian government to help promote the agreement, were the last straw. Penn, regarded by many as one of the architects of the Clinton campaign, left the campaign on Sunday.

"After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton Campaign," said campaign manager Maggie Williams, who added that Mark and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates Inc. will continued the collaboration with the Clinton campaign.

Penn will be replaced by communications director Howard Wolfson and pollster Geoff Garin.

Although specialists believe campaign shake-ups don’t influence the voters much, Penn’s ousting underlines in the voters’ minds that Clinton’s campaign is in disorder and this impression isn’t the one a future president would like to generate.

Penn has worked with the Clintons since the mid-1990s when he helped President Clinton get re-elected. He then became Hillary Clinton's pollster and message strategist in her 2000 Senate campaign.

This move comes as Hillary Clinton trails her candidate at the party nomination in delegates as well as in the popular vote. The Pennsylvania scheduled for April 22 is a must win for Clinton as she will almost certainly end the primary season behind Obama unless the nullified primaries held in the states of Florida and Michigan are counted.