Seriously? How is this not a direct pander and exploitation of an important issue just to get votes. You would save more on gas by making sure tires are inflated properly and air filter is cleaned. $2 a week at most for the summer, assuming gas prices don't go up at all. that is what Hillary Clinton thinks your vote is worth. There is no quick fix. Her fix would give you that extra dollar or two a week for the next 4 months but then how many people will be out of work and how many roads and bridges will go unrepaired while she tries to get her proposed tax on oil companies passed? That will absolutely not be law before next year, which means more deficit. She is the mom feeding the kids Ice cream, candy and cake for dinner and then will wonder why they have stomach aches?

Obama clearly understands the affect of high gas prices. he also understands, based on his previous experience that the holiday will not help because the savings to do not get to the customers.

Clinton opposed a gas tax holiday before she was for it.

Obama was for it before he was against it.

Tax holiday? she is crazy, then she wants to tax the oil companies, what do you think they will do? pass the cost to the customers, she is willing to say anything at this point...

What do Hillary Clinton, George Bush and John McCain have in common?

This axis of irresponsibility, these three amigos are peddling deceptive remedies to the Gas Price Problem.

Bush says stupid stuff that is demonstratively false about ANWAR saving the day on energy needs. But these false statements ain't the worst of it. It is bad enough that he can look at the camera and with a straight face B.S. the voters with nonsense. The worst of it is that he believes that you may be stupid enough to fall for it. Hardcore disrespect.

Enter Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Both Hillary and John take up the Bush Stupidity Challenge. They both expect alotta you to fall for the B.S., too. These two are staying the course by offering the magic wand to solve the problem.

But apparently these three two Panderers are the Grownups. Bush is just their friend .... and also the Loser that leads the way for Hills and McCain to follow. Bush sets the path. They follow.

I admit if I knew a station within reasonable distance had gas for $.18 cheaper per gallon I would go to it. However, that is because I feel I am beating the system by increasing price competition.

What a waste of time and effort. I need to bring my effective cost of driving to what currently is $3/gal or less. That tax rebate/reduction does nothing except cause shortfalls that will have to be made up by higher taxes elsewhere.

At gas near $4/gallon in the Summer, a drop of $.18 is not going to make me feel better or drive a lot more.

I read this article and I must say I'm really impressed. 18 cents of every gallon of gas, wow Hillary and McCain what an idea!!!! While we are at it why don’t you really do something smart and good for the country like introducing and passing legislation so we can drill in Anwar. How about building more refineries in this country? It's been thirty plus years since one has been built. Oil consumption throughout the world is out of control especially in China and India they continue to pollute the environment and stick it to the United States whenever they can. But you continue to bash the Bush administration as big oil. Last time I heard Bill Clinton was still taking big fees for speaking engagements in Saudi Arabia at the tune of 500,000 dollars a speech. I wonder if he chastised the Saudi government for high oil prices. I’m sure he forgot to mention it. It’s always the good old United States fault. The world has never had the high demand of oil as it is today. When Bill was president China’s population rode bicycles. Now you can’t even breathe the air in Beijing and that poses a health risk to the athletes during the Olympics. Now we have cars and trucks and coal mines spewing pollutants into the atmosphere. Did I hear you say global warming Hillary? No you didn’t we are responsible for global warming. Hillary? When you scream to your supporters about our dependence on foreign oil think about this. Also the war Hillary voted for and McCain wants real bad was the genesis of our oil problem. Also every time we the interest rate is reduce and our currency is devalued, it means we have to pay more for gas. If you want to drive the price of oil down quickly announce to the world that we are drilling in Anwar. The oil speculators will be in frenzy and prices will go down. Anwar drilling will not hurt the environment and any expert in the field will tell you that. So stop the rhetoric about a holiday gas tax relief and do something for the long term. Band aids are not the answer. A sound energy policy is. We never had one and as long as politicians use energy as a campaign issue we will never have one. Just one more thing I wonder Hillary if you are aware that millions of people have pension funds tied to oil company stock so when you continue to want to bring them down think of the millions of peoples retirements you are damaging, it would also lead to the poor maintenance of our infrastructure & the loss of thousands of jobs in this sector. But once again your supporters and adoring public are naive and uneducated when it comes to these things and they are easily fooled by you. Gimmicks are not the solution to American problems, OK?

can their be any more proof that HRC is a closet republican candidate? A meaningless tax cut that will cost billions and not be paid for.

What is wrong with doing what is best for American citizens? Obama in the Illinois senate voted FOR suspending the gas tax, so now he is against it? the guy flip flops on everything, this, the Wright fiasco, yet his supporters still follow him like lemmings. Hillary wants to give a break to Americans, and then put the tax on the oil compaines, who made billions in profit this quarter. Meanwhile, Obama LIES when he says that he doesn't take money from oil compaines, when he clearly does. How can you possibly still support Obama? I don't get it.

Hillary's pandering is sickening.

So who is paying the the gas for the motorcade, helicopter, and all the press for this hollywood elite production. we the taxpayers maybe?

Next week, everyone will say that's a bad idea, and she'll say she was against the tax holiday, she is nuts!

I would be more impressed by a candidate that started mandating Zero emmissions and did real investment into cars that don't run on gasoline.

OIL COMPANIES REPORT LARGEST "PROFIT MARGINS" EVER! THE SHOULD CUT THEIR SALARIES AND BONUSES AND LOWER THE COST OF GAS TO CONSUMERS. TOO GREEDY!

ON ANOTHER NOTE --- WHY IS BILL O’REILLY NOW “UNFAIR AND UNBALANCED”?

HE SAID HE WILL ASK HILLARY “REALLY TOUGH QUESTIONS” TONIGHT!

OBAMA GETS A PASS — O’Reilly is now defending Obama, saying “Of course Obama doesn’t believe all the stuff that loon Wright says.” But how does HE know that? How do ANY of us know that? We can’t and we don’t.

INDIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA VOTE NEXT TUESDAY — BILL SHOULD NOT QUESTION HILLARY BEFORE THEN — UNLESS HE ASKS OBAMA “TOUGH” QUESTIONS, TOO. OBAMA HAS RUN HIS ENTIRE CAMPAIGN ON LIES.

HILLARY HAS EXPERIENCE.

OBAMA HAS POOR JUDGMENT.

I’M TRULY DISAPPOINTED IN O’REILLY — WHY HAS HE SWITCHED?

Doublestandard, proudamerican2008,

Good comments.

this week, people are saying it is a bad idea.

High gas prices are the result of a weak dollar. The dollar is weak because we have half a trillion dollars out in loans from China! We have been set up for failure and it is the last thing the Bush administration and the Republicans want to talk about. That debt must be bought back, the war has to end and there are going to be taxes. NAFTA has been a disaster. HRC is working for the Columbian deal which will benefit her personally through her husband's off shore funding group. McCain or Hillary mean a third Bush term. It is time that the USA started beign the USA again.

Oil company is behind Obama.
They order him what to do.

Just becareful he will change his idea any time if he needs to.
Just like he did it to the Capital tax .
He suddenly denounced his pastor because he wants to get white voters.

Sen. Clinton said, "We will pay for it by imposing a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies," she said on Tuesday. "They sure can afford it. This is a big difference in this race. My opponent opposes giving consumers a break from the gas tax but I believe the American people are being squeezed pretty hard."

The cost of a gallon of gasoline has touched $4 in some parts of the country as oil prices nudge toward a record $120 per barrel, hammering drivers at a time when higher food prices and falling home values are already crimping U.S. consumers.

Many economists implicitly agreed with Obama and said the McCain-Clinton gas tax plan sent the wrong signal on energy efficiency and was at odds with their pledges to combat climate change by encouraging lower U.S. carbon emissions.

"I think it is a very bad idea," said Gilbert Metclaf, a economics professor at Tufts University currently working with the National Bureau of Economic Research.

"If we want people to invest in energy-saving cars, we need some assurance that the higher price paid for these cars is going to pay off through fuel savings," he said. "It is a very short-sighted, counterproductive proposal."

Economists also saw it is a poor way of getting money to the households that need it most and warned that it might end up in the cash tills of the oil companies

What they found in Illinois is that the tax removal did nothing to reduce the price of gas, the prices still went up and any benefit was lost. That does not address the issue of why gas prices are high. Our refineries are only working at 85% of capacity, the oil companies make billions every month in profit. It is certainly within their control to reduce price on their product.

Kind of funny that she doesn't remember how to pump gas, but as a Jersey girl, I understand. A couple months after I got my license, I had to get gas in Pennsylvania and we had to go into the store and ask the guy to show us how to do it...being from New Jersey, we're used to mandatory full serve. Now that I live in Virginia I've had to get used to pumping it myself...wouldn't mind having an entourage of Secret Service to do it for me!

Why don't you do a story today about the record high deaths of our soldiers today?? You know, the war that Hillary voted for. My prayers go out to them and their families. God be with you all.

Obama thinks people who can't afford to fill up their tanks will buy more gas if the price goes down. He is just sooooooooooooo out of it. I have started walking, but my neighbors still drive. They think Obama is a kook, too.

Obama has never been for gas tax cuts. Where did you get that information? I would like to read that.

The tax holiday is pandering pure and simple....It just gives oil companies leverage to raise prices even more to make bigger profits and provides no real relief to average folks....just like the tax rebate checks.

Kitty,

Very good comment.

Obama has NO moral or political authority to bash Hillary's gas tax holiday/windfall profit tax idea... no one will be unemployed from transportation projects as Obama falsely claims.

AND notably the truckers will get a $0.25 federal tax holiday on their diesel... Which is of great importance to the independent truckers in that they may be able to stay in business a bit longer... so in fact Hillary is helping people stay employed.

Obama voted FOR the Bush/Cheney Energy bill. Hillary voted against it. Obama does receive money from BIG OIL even though he misrepresents that only Hillary and McCain do.

Obama is the "oily" character in this debate.

Obama never met a tax he didn't want to keep. Or hike. Or implement. Have you read about his kooky idea: The Global Poverty Act? Kook-O-Bama at his finest.

Do you know who hosted the SF fundraiser?
If you know, you got the answer why he opposed this idea.

Wake up!

My husband works road construction..it's almost May and he hasn't been called back- so what about the 300,000 plus jobs that will be lost Hillary? I thought you were all about the working man..and I mean these are UNION jobs- the UNION that supports you!The gas company will no more accept a tax windfall then they would give back their 7 billion dollars in 1st quarter profits-
At least Obama has the sense to try and save jobs but the both of you need to come up with some solutions- I for one am sick of the pandering, lies, and distractions.

Obama supporters don't need gas tax breaks because their cars run on hope.

Mack, hope is better than lies, she's just like Cheatin' Bill...

nickberry- Really? Where did you get the information that no jobs will be lost? Sorry that is all dependant on them getting a bill passed that forces the Oil companies to accept a new tax.. When will that get passed next year if ever? Please if you have something to back up your statement I am all for it- but don't come on here and post something that is dependant on a huge IF and then tell me that 30-50 bucks over the course of 3 months is somehow more important than 300,000 jobs.

whatever: I am sorry to say... Hillary is not for the people. None of us. The sad part about all this is that the Hillary believers will not see this until it is to late. Just like the Bush people. Seriously were did those votes come from the second time around and why?? I am still trying to figure that one out. People get fear in them because they are not sure about someone. You will never get anyplace in life if you live in fear!

hahaha chris oil company behind Obama where do you get you info????To funny You know you will never see her at a gas station again only in the back seat of a limo.....................

Becky: I am not living in fear- rather as the weeks go by I find myself becoming more and more shall I say ...bitter. I am an Obama supporter and I realize he has had quite the week- what I am asking for though is some sort of level headed reaction from any of the candidates- an understanding that things need to be fixed now ( and not just a band aid , that will peel off the first time we pump gas or another bridge falls down).I hate to put the responsibility on them but our current administration doesn't give a hoot about what we are going through right now. If things keep on this current path then January's inauguration is going to be too late for alot of us.

Taking the gas tax away for the summer is not a good thing. Indiana did that one summer, and our state budget deficit skyrocketed. It wasn't sound economic policy.

Hillary is already feeling fine about talk of bombing Iran - yet out of the other side of her mouth says that she'll bring our soldiers home from the middle east first.

Now she says that saving the 17 cents a gallon is somehow going to solve all the problems. And she's paying for it with a windfall tax on Exxon. good luck with that.

She talks about the presidency as though it's a dictatorship. It's going to take some bipartisan work, not her campaign of personal destruction to get it done.

She wasn't able to get a nat'l healthcare policy in either - she doesn't play nicely with others.

Well when her Husband was in oddice gas was cheap most of the time under $1.00 my son has to drive 42 miles one way to work on days it is not raining he rides a bike 18 cents does not seem like much but ie could be his water bill for a month it does help for the little people.

Oh please! Give me a break! This woman has become a joke. I'd love to see a woman president but not this one.

I would like to see an AA president but a real one.

Bishop-So how do you choose between families then?Is your son's water bill more important then my families income? That shouldn't be a choice that anyone has to make. No one person is more important- are you telling me that not one of them with all of their advisors can come up with a plan that perhaps doesn't hurt anyone and may lead to relief for all of us? Instead of stuffing something shiny out there and thinking we are stupid enough to believe it will help us?

My son fought in desert storm his job has been out sourced three times he is now an industrial Electrican he GI bill did not give him anything he has his blood tested every six months for WHATEVER. My son is also in the union now but when Clinton was in office he had one job for the whole time that paid $27.00 printing industry

Bishop, he is a real one....you need to take off your hillary and bill rose-colored glasses first.

We don't need tax relief, we need more speeches. Why take a stand when you can just vote present?

You need to stop drinking your kool-aid he is a fake

Hey Proud American, I heard O'Reilly, and he was NOT defending Obama. He went on to say Obama was clearly using Wright for years to build his Chicago base to run for office. Hardly a compliment.

O'Reilly will be tough, but I think he'll be fair. My guess is he respects her for having the guts to face him, something Obama has so far refused to do. She is great in interviews. It will be a net positive.

How do we know it is just pandering? We have two indicators.

One is that Bill says it isn't. I can't remember the last time he told the truth.

Two is common sense. Eighteen cents a gallon. Assuming you get just 20 miles to a gallon, even after driving 10,000 miles you'd only save $90.

The Oreilly interview will be tough, but Oreilly will be respectful.

Underneath all his 'no spin' he is still a guy responsible for having good ratings. He will ask her tough, real questions, but not enough so she is blown off and will never come back.

Certainly Alexrod and Burton will be watching to see if Obama can get away with going on there too. Oreilly doesnt want to blow a chance of him coming on as well.

As far as the gas thing goes. I find it humourus that Obama supporters put down an attempt to give drivers SOME relief in the here and now, when Obama wants to do NOTHING at all.

Its just a weak argument. Any attempt to lower the price of gas during peak months is better than NOTHING.

I have no idea what political genius thinks its a good idea to tell his candidate to MOCK the others for trying to help the public , even if its a token effort. Not a good strategy.

The only snake-oil salesman in this race who tells voters "what they want to hear" is Obama.

New national poll just released today supporting Mondays AP poll: Clinton 9 point lead over McCain in G.E. McCain has a three point lead over Obama. Strategists now indicating that republicans think Hillary will be much harder for McCain to beat than Obama.
That's exactly what the supers need to hear.

Rise Hillary, Rise.

Nick, the trucks won't stop. That's just talk from someone with a personal interest.

The costs get passed along. The primary reason groceries cost more now is the cost of paying the transport of those groceries has increased.

You can argue that the gas tax is thus pushing food prices higher, but a similar argument can be made for any tax. Things would cost less if there was no sales tax on anything. And we'd have more money to spend if there was no income tax.

The ironic thing is that Clinton has basically been reduced to offering the typical GOP pander-bait. Less taxes.

If that argument moves you, ask yourself why you aren't a Republican.

Obama best friend's the Getty's no oil in his backround

besides the shell guy this am let us drill in USA

Repealing the gas tax for 3 months is not a good idea. It's not likely we will see much return and most of the benefit will go to the gas companies. We have already seen that people are driving less and being smarter about their driving habits. This is inline with trying to save the planet. I myself drive less and try to do multiple things in one shot. I think this call for the recall of the gas tax by Clinton and Mccain is just them trying to win votes. They are trying their hardest to make themselves appear like they are in touch with the people but are missing the fact that they both don't understand the economy. Mccain has admitted to it. As for Clinton, you can see the evidence in how she manages her campaign finances. I would rather pay this tax if it will make me more compelled to use less gas. Good job Obama for opposing this.

Tom - artificially lowering prices during, as you say, peak usage season, will only encourage more usage.

This is simple market stuff. If demand goes up and supply stays constant, price goes up.

Maybe we should have listened to John Anderson back in 1980 when he broke with the Republican Party and suggested a .50 additional gas tax per gallon.

His rationale - he didn't want the money as much as he was making a market argument. We should encourage less usage, he argued, rather than giving Americans the false impression this stuff would always be plentiful and cheap.

what about the current Clinton election fraud case in which Bill and Hillary are involved and will have to testify? Will that be another Whitewater - draining our resources and detering us from getting our country's problems solved? Remember, during Whitewater's distraction, we left Afghanistan in the dust, and bin Laden planned his strategies. This seems more important to me than focusing on an aged, retired pastor.

Hillary, I''m very disappointed that you would claim to care about Americans health, but favor giving up money that is needed to repair bridges that are crumbling.

Minnesota has had a bridge collapse and it cost lives.
In my state of Wisconsin, we have also had bridge problems.
California has had problems.

Hillary, you need to decide if you care about lives or not. Stop flip flopping.

nickberry-So let's see- our options are
A) she somehow manages to talk big oil into taking the tax increase and prices fall 18 cents a gallon and everyone lives happily ever after ( for about 50 bucks w/e makes you happy I guess)
B) It NEVER happens and just saying it might gets her votes in the next 2 states
C) The price decrease happens and the fund never gets its money put back in

Option A yeah that would be wonderful and if she can pull it off omg I would probably have to vote for her..but good luck with that
Options B and C suck

And let me mention that before you come on here attacking my views that you should read my entire argument and notice I have said that NONE of the candidates have come up with a plan that works, and if this had come out of Obama's mouth I would be saying the same exact thing I am about McCain and Clinton. A bad plan is no better then NO plan

Bishop-It is not Bill that is running for President this time it is Hillary we cannot assume that things are going to go right back to the economic happiness they were before. I hate to say it but those were the good old days and everything is different now. Thank your son for his service , my family appreciates it- I meant no disrespect I was simply trying to show you the other side of the coin. That the 300,000 consruction workers have a face- a family and their own bills to pay.

The gas tax funds road and brige maintainence and building. Not tax, no funds no work, no jobs. The drop will be nulled because it will have zero effect on demand and supply and zero effect on the failing dollar, so zero effect on doing anything about rising gas prices.

Obama voted for the bush/cheney energy bill because he read it, it actually raised revenue coming from the oil industry and forced more money into alternatives to using gasoline.

Yeah... Paul... "real" talk from someone with a personal interest in trucking... aka the truckers themselves. You have not been paying attention over the last several months to the testimonials from those truckers.

Do you even understand ANYTHING about independent truckers? They do get a fuel surcharge payment but it ain't paying for the entire increased fuel cost and they are having to absorb it... and there is only so much they can take.

Why do you think these guys are protesting high fuel prices? If they got fully compensated they would not make a sound.

BS on Louis take on Obama voting for the Bush-Cheney energy bill. Obama broke away from the Democrats who were trying to get more alternative energy and better policy in the bill. He (and Durbin) was bought off by adding nuclear and ethanol incentives to the bill that specifically benefitted Illinois. Obama betrayed the Democrats who were fighting for real energy policy reform.

nickberry- If they wanted to protest they would park it ..for a day. They are probably the only workers in the US that could actually make something happen by threatening to bring the economy to a grinding halt. They tried it a little while ago but not for long enough- the 18 cents for 3 months to them is not going to make a big enough impact it will just help them maybe break even for the summer. Then what ..back to square one. Meanwhile- everyone can just cross their fingers every time they drive over a bridge ( including the truck drivers whose livelihood is dependant on the accesible roads).

The gas tax funds road and brige maintainence and building. Not tax, no funds no work, no jobs. The drop will be nulled because it will have zero effect on demand and supply and zero effect on the failing dollar, so zero effect on doing anything about rising gas prices.

Obama voted for the bush/cheney energy bill because he read it, it actually raised revenue coming from the oil industry and forced more money into alternatives to using gasoline.

whatever - good post, but I'd add that relying on the market isn't "no plan."

Global demand is increasing. Global supply in terms of refined oil is pretty constant, and in terms of raw materials obviously is going down.

This is a formula for higher prices, and there's no way to tinker our way out of it. But when prices rise to the point where alternatives become viable in the market, you can bet someone will be there to sell those alternatives to us.

I'm not blind to the fact that transitioning off oil will be huge, with a lot of trauma and growing pains. But we all know its going to happen eventually. We actually would most likely avoid additional hardships by not trying to tinker with the market. Like Dana said, let the market established high prices dictate personal usage, and then the supply won't deplete as fast.

Hey... whatever... I am NOT attacking your views because you are just repeating Obama propaganda... ergo I am attacking the Obama spin.

And notably it is evident that you did not read Hillary's entire plan or else you would not have stated false/irrelevant options.

And again as I indicated to another poster... You have no clue about independent truck drivers or how many miles and how much fuel. The savings would far exceed $50 with a tax holiday on diesel at around $0.25/gallon. (Diesel has a higher tax and it now costs more than gasoline.)

O.K. folks, I have not heard of any independent body that supports this approach. The idea that suspending the national gas tax and dispersing the savings throughout the entire population totally loses the focus on those who really need the assistance. I propose;
1) Keep the gas tax and the 300,000 highway jobs.
2) Hit the oil companies with a win/fall tax.
3) Roll back the tax cuts on family incomes of greater than $250,000.
4) Use those revenues to cut taxes on those with combined family incomes of less than $75,000.

This will keep our highway program at parity and provide significant relief to working families and those on fixed incomes. We should also be looking at ways to provide relief to our transportation sector which would help reduce the cost of food and other staples.

Just trying to add a positive few to this discussion. I am an independent supporting Obama.

Paul- There are however some of us that not only use oil for fuel but also for heat- I understand your point and I know we need to transition to a new source but shouldn't there be some sort of "weaning" process. Cold turkey has never worked for me.. lol It's hard to tell someone to ration their oil when they live in a state that drops 50 below for weeks at a time and their kids are cold...

Nick - I grew up in Pittsburgh, which is a good laboratory for watching effective vice inneffective labor negotiating tactics. I never knew a time growing up when local talk wasn't about who was on strike that week. I heard a lot of viable arguments and also developed, I think, an ear for BS.

Trucks ain't gonna stop trucking because of fuel costs. Can you really imagine a reality of people going to the grocery store, only to see a sign posted that says, "sorry, we're closed - no trucks, no food," at least in the next few years?

But the cost of trucking will increase, and has increased since the time when gas/diesel was about .80 a gallon.

nick- What part of her plan did I miss where she was able to impose the tax without having it pass through the appropriate( and mandatory)governmental gridlock?

Whatever - no, not cold turkey. That was part of my point about usage. If the cost slowly increases, usage across the board can decrease here and there, where possible.

Obviously heating the house in which you are raising your kids is a place you can't cut back; at least not beyond setting the thermostat a couple degrees lower (which I'm guessing you already are doing).

But driving the family to a movie theater may be a place where you can cut back. Or buying a more fuel efficient vehicle the next time around. I'm hoping hydrogen technology comes down in price before I have to replace my Corolla.

Little things. This summer, I'm still taking time off work, but instead of flying or driving somewhere far away, the family is going to spend a week exploring the county - you know, all those places you never go, because they're close and common.

The dems have been blowing off opportunity after opportunity to actually get things done. They have been jsut as bad as Bush with the my way or the highway attitude on everything. There are plenty of things that this is appropriate on, FISA for one. They were not going to ge the votes needed to pass what they wanted, even if they did the Pres was going to veto it. Obama got things done and made some progress. We need a leader who is going to do that. The future of this country is not about Republican vs. democrat.

So, while we are all obsessed with Rev. Wright and following "down home" (yeah, right) Hillary at the gas pump (economists have come out and said this "gas tax break" idea of her's and McCain's is a TERRIBLE idea and will backfire with even higher prices), more of our kids have been killed in Iraq and Al Quaida is gaining more power in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our priorities, folks, are really, really bizarre.

Apparently... Paul... You are not cognizant of the 1973 oil embargo and the second oil crisis in 1979. Fuel cost increased and there were empty shelves in stores.

Louis- yeah cut back slowly and this summer we were supposed to transfer from fuel oil to something more efficient..but according to 2 out of 3 candidates um..my husband may not have a job lol Wow for so long I wanted to hear about real issues from the candidates and now that they are voicing their crappy ideas I want them to shut up again.

JustMyObservation: your conspiracy theory is really way out there to say that Rev.Wright and his body guards were hired by Hillary. LOL.
Obama has skeletons in his closet that are going to continue to come out thanks to the media establishment who did their best cover for this relatively unknown and inexperienced candidate who was perfectly packaged by Axelrod to deceive the people.

LA-it doesn't do any good to discuss it, there is only one website and one article on it ( mums the word) meanwhile the Rev will have his own channel soon enough on cable.

Nick, I lived through both, though I have to admit my memory is a little fuzzy going back to 1973. I don't know where you lived then, but where I lived we still had food.

I do remember long lines at the pumps.

But that's really not the same argument. You're now talking about interruptions to supply, not a market driven price increase. It is true that if for some reason there was no more petroleum products tomorrow, things that run on them would stop.

Think about it, Obama voted for Cheney's 2005 energy bill (clinton did not)

Don't forget about "Operation Chaos", so if you agree with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and the other hard right conservatives, make sure you cast your vote along with their minion's votes for Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in Indiana and North Carolina. Rush is on fire today on talk radio today, and he is counting on you to help him. You know you love him- do the right thing.

Okay, but Sam, you're still comparing Obama to Clinton. That contest ended a while ago. Personally I'd say after Virginia but others think it was Wisconsin in which Obama put it away.

Now we need to look at Obama compared with McCain.

Sam: The 2005 Energy Bill was opposed by environmentalists but Democrats saw the final bill as the best compromise that could be achieved in a GOP-controlled Congress. Clinton at the time said she was against the bill because it didn't do enough to cut reliance on foreign oil and address global warming. She also claimed that the bill was loaded with new tax breaks for oil companies, but in fact that was offset by nearly $3 billion in oil taxes. The bill's $14.3 billion in energy tax breaks mostly went for renewable energy and efficiency programs and the nuclear and coal industries, both of which are prominent in Obama's home state of Illinois. Obama is correct when he says Clinton voted against renewable fuels and auto fuel economy. During the 2005 energy deliberations, Clinton voted against an amendment that would have required an increase in the federal auto fuel economy standard. Obama voted for it. But the measure failed. The bottom line? It all depends on who is doing the "spinning" and what facts they are leaving out. Unless we folks want to do our research to become truly informed, we are only going to know what they want us to know.

Sure whatever....we're just now starting to understand the application of the double standard

Hillary has proved herself to be a world champion when it comes to exploiting niches for votes. That's what politicians do and she's the best.

But, she will still lose the nomination.

She'll join forces with Obama (aka Soetoro) and all her supporters will join the winner just like sheep follow that narrow trail through the paster.

Who says personal convictions are worth anything? They're certainly not when one gives up his moderate view of the world for an extreme left view. Hillary joins Obama because she has to politically. What's everyone else's reason?

Whatever: I don't know about you, but people out her need relief from the soaring gas prices. As for your comment that the oil companies "won't accept" the windfall profit's tax, they don't have a choice when the tax is imposed on them. These fat cats are not paying their fair share. I see Obama offers no solutions. Hillary has both, a short-term and long-term solutions.

LA- It can't be a double standard if the media doesn't want to tell us anything about itlol or the judge that is in someone's pocket to keep everything under wraps until this is even more of a problem for the Democrats. I was using sarcasm in my post - I am sick of the all rev all the time channel too. Don't worry as soon as Hillary pulls even ( if she can) the media will pop up with this story to drag this on even longer...

Says now she is going to let this country become what it can become ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh different story now huh....where are all her big ideas and things she IS going to do... not let it become what IT CAN>>>>>>>Talks out of both sides of her big lying mouth.

You might see your green onions, or tomatoes 23c lower in price if gasoline taxes are lifted for sometime. That's how much it would cost you extra for shipping your groceries to your supermarket, unless you are the rich, educated group who really does not care the extra 23c/lb.

Obama wants you to pay it.

sam- My point is if she had the unilateral ability to make this happen I might believe her .BUT she does not possess the power to make this happen on her own... If people with no political background ( altho legends in our own minds)cannot agree that this is a superb idea, what makes you think this will not end up gridlocked waiting for a vote that will never come? It is thrown out here to get votes and that is all.

Olbermann - how'd you come up with the .23 cents figure?

Becky, President Clinton acquired a mess. The economy was in a recession (no jobs), high deficits, crime as at an all time high in the country, he had to deal with foreign policy disasters that were left by the 1st Bush (Haiti,Bosnia). Guess what? He turned things were turned around.
It is going to take another Clinton to fix the mess were in.
I hate to break the news to you but Obama is an empty suit that the media turned into the "likeable guy" just they did with GW Bush.

Whatever - granted, that's all true. And while I'm not one to often take Clinton's side, its not like she or any candidate can only propose ideas that come with pre-approval from Congress.

She has to throw her ideas out there.

And we as voters have to understand that these are just campaign ideas, which if presented before Congress would probably end up looking like something completely different.

Sam: We ALL need a break at the gas pumps but what HC is suggesting is tantamount to fooling people like you into thinking her scheme is going to make a difference. It won't. You'll save a few dollars over the course of a couple of months, and when Labor Day comes around you'll be totally stunned into speechlessness as the price of gas skyrockets more than you can imagine. Hillary Clinton is taking advantage of us and playing on our need for economic relief. Maybe that makes her smart if she can actually get away with this, but in my book that makes her a disgrace.

Sam - what exactly did President Clinton do to help us out of recession and get the deficit down?

Also, how does Haiti and Bosnia equate to a collective foreign policy mess? No offense to either country, but these aren't exactly strategic lynchpins for us. Plus, I don't remember Bosnia being a problem until Clinton's second term... not saying you're wrong, but what was the nature of the mess from H.W. Bush's time?

Paul- Agreed. My problem with it is she is fooling people into thinking a vote for her next week is a vote for this tax break that will take effect immediately. If it is a proposal then state it as a proposal not as if it is definitely going to happen if you vote for her.I stated earlier that the majority of these "proposals" are going to go into effect much too late to do anyone any good, and that Paul is something that I do truly believe.

Sam: I hate to tell you this, but even though Bill did a great job, his last year was awful, he spent more time trying to get out of crap he got into. So, I really hate to say this, I know you are going to come back at me. Bush picked up some of Bills crap that last year. Sometimes it takes a while for the crap to drip down, but it does. I have said it before, whoever gets into office has seen nothing yet, and it will take an army to just get the quick fixes done so we as a country do not crash. Good luck to all of us.

Ohhhh, I gotcha. But no one is that dumb, are they? I mean, we all understand the next president won't even take office until next January, don't we?

And, by the way, much like the economic stimulus package, we all understand that both Clinton and McCain are simply making campaign blather, and not making serious proposals for this summer, right?

I mean, if either were serious, they still have staffers manning their senatorial offices, and either could draft a bill, even from the campaign trail. This stuff is just talk - and I assumed everyone understood that.

By the way, I was opposed to the economic stimulus thing, too, and when Obama proposed that for this spring (as the others had) I was equally negative toward his idea. He's still the best candidate, in my view, but like everybody he has his boneheaded moments.

Louis: Obama voted for Cheney's 2005 energy bill because it gave large subsidies to his donors. His favorite contributors, the nuclear industries, received 12 billion in subsidies. Maybe that is why they call him their "Golden Child".
This bill was not good for America. It relaxed water protection laws and no matter how you do the math this bill was specifically written to benefit energy companies. Do you think maybe that is why it was written in secret by lobbyists?

Ridiculous pandering by Hillary. We need long-term solutions to address our oil dependence, not short-sighted political maneuvering. I hope people in this country can see through this political garbage that she and McCain are proposing. More knee jerk proposals that will do nothing long-term.

How about incenting companies to come with alternative fuel sources?

Now that would be a novel idea -- althought that wouldn't appeal to the "common" voter, that Hillary is so in touch with.

Paul- As opposed as I was to the economic stimulus package ..it paid my mortgage yesterday :( Oh how bad it feels to swallow that pride when it comes to "free money" ( kidding I know it is just a rebate on being overtaxed for the last few decades).I think that there may be many people that don't understand that proposal vs. acutality may cause them to vote mistakenly. I too am for Obama but if this plan had been formed by him I would be looking in different directions as well.Sometimes the dream of any relief outweighs rational thinking- people are desperate for some help right now not in January.

HILLARY = EXPERIENCE

OBAMA = POOR JUDGMENT & INEXPERIENCE

HMMM WHO WILL WIN?

Obama is a big phony!

Everyone can see WRIGHT through him.

Sally: cute little soundbite but it's Hillary who's the phony and she's proved that over and over again during the course of this campaign. Her moniker "say anything/do anything to win" is so obvious...

Do you realize that there has been a bush or a clinton as president or vice-president for the last 28 years... that's longer than most of the young people in my office have been alive. I do think that Hillary and Obama's policies are very similar. I just have a very strong feeling that Obama will be able to do a much better job bringing this country together and cleaning up the bush-league mess that has been created. Obama 2008!!

Paul:
You want to know how President Clinton did it?
Six million new jobs were created during his first term. He did it by cutting taxes on small business and new entrepeneurs, his anti-crime bill also created jobs. He cut taxes on low-income and middle class families---this also helped to stimulate the economy.
He reduced the sky-rocketing deficit he acquired by passing a the 1993 budget that reduced federal spending and raised taxes on the top 2% wealthy americans. When he left office we had a surplus.
As for the foreign policy crisis:
In the 1980's tensions between serbs & muslim increased with domination by Milosovic. In 1991 it escalated into a civil war. Genocide ensued. 1st Bush's dplomatic efforts were weak. In 1992 Bosnia declared it's independence. More violence and genocide. Clinton acquired this mess and took care of it.
As for Haiti: you don't recall the chaos and mass exodus to the US? Clinton also took care of this.

Becky: where do I get this stuff?
read the energy bill that was passed.

Get serious Democrats. Our gas cost less than almost all non-producing countries who use their cheaper gas to pacify the population. Try to fill up in England for less than $100US/tank.

Our supply vs demand is now constrained by inadequate refining capacity. Add to that constraint, the need to shut down refineries several times a year to adjust the different state's requirements for blended gas and the problem gets worse. Even if we opened the stratigic reserves, we could not make enough gas to fill the demand.

Yes, we need a more coherent gas policy. Yes, the democrats who control congress prevent such action. Maybe they're waiting for Gore to perform a miracle? Maybe this is their way of unclogging the highways by eliminating poor folk from the congestion. Whatever it is, they're a part of the problem and not the solution.

I respectfully ask for someone to answer this critical question:
For the “gas tax holiday” to be implemented, who would implement the federal tax suspension? The candidates who find it favorable, congress, or the President?
I’m sure someone here knows the answer.

The gas tax funds the Highway Trust Fund, which finances road and bridge repairs. Taking funding away could delay improvements and cost thousands of construction jobs, including 7,000 in North Carolina, not to mention compromise public safety.

There are countless newspaper editorials that decry the so-called gas tax holiday as pandering. Now even Paul Krugman, a highly respected economist and Clinton supporter and apologist, says this today:

“Why doesn’t cutting the gas tax this summer make sense? It’s Econ 101 tax incidence theory: if the supply of a good is more or less unresponsive to the price, the price to consumers will always rise until the quantity demanded falls to match the quantity supplied. Cut taxes, and all that happens is that the pretax price rises by the same amount.

The McCain [and Clinton] gas tax plan is a giveaway to oil companies, disguised as a gift to consumers.

Is the supply of gasoline really fixed? For this coming summer, it is. Refineries normally run flat out in the summer, the season of peak driving. Any elasticity in the supply comes earlier in the year, when refiners decide how much to put in inventories. The McCain/Clinton gas tax proposal comes too late for that. So it’s Econ 101: the tax cut really goes to the oil companies.

The Clinton twist is that she proposes paying for the revenue loss with an excess profits tax on oil companies. In one pocket, out the other. So it’s pointless, not evil. But it is pointless, and disappointing.

It’s a one-time thing, not a matter of principle, especially because everyone knows the gas-tax holiday isn’t actually going to happen.”

So—if everyone knows it’s not going to happen, for Clinton and McCain to push it is to pander.

Here's what I don't understand - The holiday gas tax is to give relief to folks who vacation in the summer, no? Obama says it will only save consumers about $30 over the 3 summer months, but doesn't that happen only if consumers stay home and go nowhere for vacation? Won't it save consumers much more money over the summer because with lower prices people will travel more (hence, more fill ups and, thus, more savings at the pump)? Many states, like Florida, that have tourism as their main economy are going to be fiscally devastated if folks stay home and don't come here for their family vacations. I for one have to take my son on a college road trip this summer and would love to see some savings at the pump. The gas tax relief will save me hundreds of dollars since I have to drive to from Florida to Michigan, Illinois, and Washington State to look at schools my son is interested in. We thought we'd stop at Mount Rushmore, Pine Ridge, Little Big Horn, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone to make the trip more enjoyable. Won't all these places be hurt if tourists don't visit them this summer because gas is too expensive? This issue seems more than just the savings at the pump, which admittedly will be small for those who stay home instead of going on vacation. Isn't this about getting Americans out on vacation and bringing in tourism dollars to those states that rely on these dollars to get them through the rest of year? Think of all the small business owners (restaurants, gift shops,etc.) that are going to going down the drain if tourists don't stop by this summer. Just asking . . .

I want to hear the candidates-- any of them-- speak about public transportation-- we need trains and we need them now.

Phil Gramm, Bill Clinton, and the Sub-Prime Financial Mess
http://blog.sustainablemiddleclass.com/?p=220 Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
Listen to Michael Greenberger on NPR’s Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89338743
Prof. Greenberger said that Bill Clinton signed a law that has contributed to high oil/gas prices, Enron and the subprime housing mess. Phil Gramm, John McCain's principle economic advisor

Especially important was his repeatedly citing Phil Gramm as the source of the worst of the “reforms” that allowed the wholesale theft of as of yet untold tens of billions, maybe hundreds of billions. He especially mentioned removing “derivatives” from any possibility of regulation. Noting that Gramm is John McCain’s principle economic advisor is especially important this year. Since McCain himself admits that he knows nothing about economic issues, his choice of Gramm to serve as his brain in these matters should be enough to show he’s the opposite of the reformer his media-driven mythology insists on. That white-knight role is a pose that was created for him after he got caught in the Keating scandal.

With his history, positioning the entirely tainted, ultra-sleazy, Phil Gramm as his candidate for economic Czar should be enough to kill that one off, though not in the corporate media. We’re going to have to do it outside the moldy media.

DEBATE! DEBATE!! DEBATE!!!

It's time for everyone to face the truth. Barack Obama has no real chance of winning the national election in November at this time. His crushing defeat in Pennsylvania makes that fact crystal clear. His best, and only real chance of winning in November is on a ticket with Hillary Clinton as her VP.

Hillary Clinton seemed almost somber at her Pennsylvania victory speech. As if part of her was hoping Obama could have proved he had some chance of winning against the republican attack machine, and their unlimited money, and resources.

But it is absolutely essential that the democrats take back the Whitehouse in November. America, and the American people are in a very desperate condition now. And the whole World has been doing all that they can to help keep us propped up.

Hillary Clinton say's that the heat, and decisions in the Whitehouse are much tougher than the ones on the campaign trail. But I think Mr. Obama faces a test of whether he has what it takes to be a commander and chief by facing the difficult facts, and the truth before him. And by doing what is best for the American people by dropping out of the race, and offering his whole hearted assistance to Hillary Clinton to help her take back the Whitehouse for the American people, and the World.

Mr. Obama is a great speaker. And I am confident he can explain to the American people the need, and wisdom of such a personal sacrifice for them. It should be clear to everyone by now that Hillary Clinton is fighting her heart out for the American people. She has known for a long time that Mr. Obama can not win this November. You have to remember that the Clinton's have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it takes.

If Mr. Obama fails his test of commander and chief we can only hope that Hillary Clinton can continue her heroic fight for the American people. And that she prevails. She will need all the continual support and help we can give her. She may fight like a superhuman. But she is only human.

Sen. Hillary Clinton: "You know, more people have now voted for me than have voted for my opponent. In fact, I now have more votes than anybody has ever had in a primary contest for a nomination. And it's also clear that we've got nine more important contests to go."

Sincerely

Jacksmith... Working Class :-)

Well, this is like watching the Royals attempt to do something. Hillary can't pump gas, doesn't know how to work a coffee machine, and is apparently quite uncomfortable with a regular person.

Yet we are expected to believe she will "fight" for us.

Princess Hillary can't even serve coffee for herself. No wonder she can't balance her campaign budget, for she has to pay hired help for the familiar tasks of everyday life. Take her economic advice, and her working class pandering, at your own risk.