McCaskill Jousts With Gas Prices, Corporate Oil

Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill began the week traveling the state, touting remedies for high gasoline prices and changes to the tax code.

The Senator made no promises for quick solutions, and gasoline was her lead topic.

Talking over the sound of traffic rumbling down Main Street, Kansas City, the Missouri Democrat seeking re-election stood in front of a Shell gas station to attack corporate oil profits.

The Senator talked of a call for an investigation into refining capacity--"why are we refining less gasoline today than we have  in the past? We have also asked for the President to release some fuel from the strategic reserve in order to jolt speculators who are also contributing to the price increase.”

McCaskill was saying President Obama was wrong, opposing the Keystone Pipeline.  The Senator allowed as how the Keystone presents no short term solution to gas prices but said the country needs the jobs it would provide.

Critics were emailing counters well before the Senator met reporters, although not about gas prices or tax code changes, these emails, proving ferocity of this year’s political climate.