This is a welcome editorial in the Washington Post tomorrow. They don't mince words.
Key graph:
We have to agree with Sen. Barack Obama, the only candidate who has refused to play this game. "It's not an idea to get you through the summer," he said. "It's an idea to get them through an election." His opponents no doubt hope that Mr. Obama's stand will prove to be political suicide. We think it qualifies as political courage.
I thought that the Gas Tax issue allowed Obama to pivot back to his strength: running against the Washington insiders who only offer the same old BS. Perhaps it's starting to work.
Some excerpts from the editorial (and link) after the jump.
Some excerpts:
Gas Tax Gotcha
Sen. Obama's courageous stand in favor of fuel conservation
IF THE United States had a sensible energy policy, a higher federal excise tax on motor fuels would definitely be a part of it. Few measures would more efficiently accomplish more worthy goals -- strategic, social and environmental...
...(o)f course, enacting any gasoline tax increase, let alone an increase of half a buck, would be politically difficult in normal times. Today, when the price of regular is creeping toward $4 per gallon, it is obviously a non-starter. The best we can hope for is that politicians, especially presidential candidates, will avoid exploiting the issue for short-term political advantage. Alas, that hope was not warranted in the case of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has followed Republican John McCain in recommending a suspension of the federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day...
...we have to agree with Sen. Barack Obama, the only candidate who has refused to play this game. "It's not an idea to get you through the summer," he said. "It's an idea to get them through an election." His opponents no doubt hope that Mr. Obama's stand will prove to be political suicide. We think it qualifies as political courage.
Link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...