Jane Chastain : Politically Direct

It was one of the most revealing moments in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In a hearing of the Judiciary Committee, Maxine Waters, a Democrat congresswoman from Los Angeles, was lecturing Shell Oil President John Hofmeister when she got caught up in the moment and blurted, Read the rest of this entry »

Voters awake from their quadrennial slumber about this time every fourth year to prepare themselves for the business of electing a president. We cast all our cares and concerns on a man or woman we think can save us from our excesses, our personal responsibilities, our enemies here and abroad.

By the time the election rolls around, most know very little about the man or woman who gets their vote. We simply don’t care enough to reach beyond the rhetoric. We pick the one who looks, sounds or acts more like the Superman (or Superwoman) we would like him to become.

Is it any wonder our country is in such a mess?
Read the rest of this entry »

I was in the process of convincing myself to cast a vote for John McCain for president next November when he held a press conference in Oregon that reminded me why I find that distasteful.

The long and short of it is, he panders! Read the rest of this entry »

The price of gasoline has everyone worried.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain want to suspend the federal gas tax during the summer. Clinton wants to pay for it by imposing a windfall profits tax on “Big Oil” while her Democratic rival, Barack Obama, says that would exacerbate the problem. He thinks the tax holiday would encourage evil Big Oil to raise prices even more, which would inflict greater pain on consumers when the holiday expires.

While I welcome any kind of tax relief– however brief – the attempt to blame rising gas prices on windfall profit-taking by the big oil companies is misplaced.

If that were the case, the answer to solving your personal energy crisis would be simple. Buy oil company stocks! Then, any rise in gas prices would be offset by the profits in your portfolio. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally, Barack Obama was forced to admit that Wright is wrong!

For a New York minute, I actually found myself feeling sorry for Obama, who got blind-sided Monday at the National Press Club by his arrogant former pastor. That’s the kind of mesmerizing effect Obama has on people.

I didn’t swoon, mind you. When I found myself getting light-headed and my mind numbing, I reached for the antidote, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Obama’s racially-charged autobiography that was written long before any thought of running for political office popped into his head or any of Tony Rezko’s money made that thought viable. Read the rest of this entry »