Obama: Time to Tap Oil Reserves

Promises get bigger, and policy gets dumber

(NEWSER) - It might as well be a mathematical formula: High gas prices + oncoming election = stupid policy, writes Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post. John McCain, once the possessor of a sensible energy plan, now screeches incessantly about outer-continental shelf drilling, as though this would instantly solve the energy crisis. Barack Obama, who once earned plaudits for resisting McCain and Hillary Clinton's gimmicky gas tax holiday, now wants to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an even costlier gimmick. More»

Charles Lane points out a surprising trend: Americans are driving less

(NEWSER) - When gas prices spiked in April, Americans reacted in a logical, yet surprising way: They drove less. It's a sign, writes Charles Lane of the Washington Post , that America's love affair with the car is on the rocks. Getting a license, for instance, isn't the "rite of passage" it used to be; only 28.7% of 16-year-olds got their licenses in 2010, down from 44.7% in 1988. Lane blames cell phones, which make "it easier for youngsters to stay in touch without actually, er, touching." More»

He's not the candidate of 'Hope and Change' argue Republicans

(NEWSER) - Hope and Change? Try "Hype and Blame." That's the message from the RNC, which unveiled its not-quite-rhyming variation on President Obama's 2008 slogan today. Going forward, both the RNC and the Romney campaign will start using the slogan (and selling $10 bumper stickers emblazoned with it), which references what they say is three-plus years of broken promises, reports CNN . "Four years later, we know the candidate of Hope and Change is now Hype and Blame," says the RNC's press secretary. (Romney apparently isn't too wowed by Obama's new slogan, either.) More»

President testing leaders' pulse on lowering gas prices

(NEWSER) - With Americans facing spiraling prices at the gas pump that could threaten a nascent economic recovery, President Obama and British PM David Cameron yesterday chewed over the possibility of tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The president has taken a drubbing both in approval ratings and from Republicans quick to blame his energy policies, and faces a tricky balance between achieving real relief and accusations of playing election-year politics. No agreement was reached, but Obama is likely beginning to test global leaders' appetite for such a move, notes Reuters . "We will continue to work together to address energy security and oil price issues," says a senior White House official. It could be months before a decision is made. More»

Sure, policy affects things ... eventually

(NEWSER) - As gas prices rise, President Obama's approval rating falls , which makes sense, because those painful numbers at the pump are all his fault, right? Wrong, say oil experts and economists. The Washington Post breaks down their arguments:

• Policy: It definitely affects things, but it takes a long time for that to happen. Cars can take a decade to turn over, for instance, so tightening fuel efficiency rules doesn't kick in immediately. One expert notes that legislation George W. Bush signed in 2007 is helping stop the "current situation from getting worse."