Penn on politics

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: April 1, 2009

When I first saw CNN teasing commentary by Penn Jillette on its web site this morning, my first thought was, April Fool’s.

You may not know Penn Jillette by his full name. But you have heard of his work: He’s one half of the magician duo Penn and Teller.

This dude is all about sleight-of-hand, eating fire and making stuff disappear. And there was that “Dancing with the Stars” thing. Commentary from him on domestic policy and international politics? Come on.

I’ll admit that I was also biased by my own frustrations. I’ve been seeking syndication for my commentary, with no success, for more than a year now. At first blush, I thought, how is it that a magician can get this kind of exposure, but I can’t? What gives?

Well, as it turns out, Jillette’s column was pretty good.

Take a few minutes to read his piece. He breaks down America’s financial crisis—and President Obama’s plan to get us out of it—in a way that will make you think.