WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Hillary Clinton’s decision to oust her chief strategist may not be enough to save her presidential bid, Democratic strategists said Monday.

The immediate cause of Mark Penn’s departure was his consultation with Colombian officials over a free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes. But political strategists said Penn caused even more damage by the way he led her campaign.

“Their message has not been working for months,” said Chris Kofinis, former communications director for John Edwards’ campaign. “If Penn had left six months ago, we might have been talking about a very different Democratic race, but two weeks before Pennsylvania, with [Barack] Obama ahead by 140 delegates, the impact this is going to have on the overall dynamics of the race is minimal.”

Clinton has suffered from a string of bad publicity in recent weeks. She had to admit there was no truth to a story she told repeatedly about being under sniper fire during a 1996 Bosnia-Herzegovina visit, and on Monday the Clinton campaign said it could not verify a story in her stump speech about a pregnant Ohio woman who died after being turned away from a hospital because she lacked insurance.

The Clintons dumped six years worth of tax returns late Friday, only to see their $109 million in earnings, rather than her transparency, become the focus of the media.

On Sunday evening, campaign manager Maggie Williams announced that Penn was stepping down but would “continue to provide polling advice.”

“Is this rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic or is it steering the ship away from an iceberg?” veteran Democratic campaign strategist Peter Fenn wondered.

Penn’s sacking came after months of complaints that he led the campaign in the wrong direction by portraying Clinton as the inevitable nominee. Campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was ousted by Clinton in February after a string of unexpected losses to Barack Obama.

The poll averages by the Web site RealClear Politics.com show the double-digit lead Clinton held less than two weeks ago in Pennsylvania has shrunk to just under seven points. Analysts say anything less than a 10-point victory by Clinton is a win for Obama.

Penn’s work for the Colombians on behalf of a bilateral free-trade agreement could hurt Clinton, especially in the state’s older industrial towns where trade agreements have cost millions of jobs, said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George, who added that the Clinton camp should completely sever its ties with Penn.

“It’s created some doubt, no question about it,” said George, who is uncommitted to either candidate. “She has to clear it up.”

sferrechio@dcexaminer.com