Barack Obama has dismissed the Clinton/McCain proposal for a temporary repeal of the federal gas tax as a "classic Washington gimmick" that will not address the long term problems leading to high gas prices.
Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has keeps pushing the line that contrary to "elite opinion," repealing the tax will help the average American struggling to make ends meet.
So is Clinton's plan political pandering or a real solution to working-class woes? Well, let's see what one of the great panderers of our generation, George W. Bush, said about this same issue way back in 2001...
after the jump
From the May 7, 2001 White House press conference:
Q Ari, why is a temporary or permanent cut in the federal gasoline tax not a possible option for the problem with spiraling prices?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President is very concerned about the rise in gasoline prices. He's very concerned about the impact that it's having on Americans, particularly, lower income Americans, who need their vehicles to drive to get to work and to enjoy their family lives. And that's one of the reasons the President is pushing so strongly for a comprehensive energy policy, and also for a tax cut, so he can get money into the hands of people who are being hit by rising gas prices.
During the campaign last year there was much made about the possibility of repealing the federal gas tax, or limiting the federal gas tax. The President did not join in that call. I would alert you just to wait until the final recommendations come out of the task force.
As I indicated this morning, the President has not joined that chorus before -- I do not rule it out, but I have said very clearly that's not something the President is focused on. His focus is on long-term solutions, not quick fixes. Quick fixes don't work. He wants to have a focus on that which is long-term, that will work.
Q Well, wouldn't this quick fix certainly work in shaving a little bit off the price? What's the detriment of doing it?
MR. FLEISCHER: Again, the focus of the President is to move forward on a long-term solution to a problem that's been very long in the making. And one of the things that's wrong with Washington, in the President's opinion, is people too often move from one quick fix, one short-term, non-solution to the next short-term non-solution, without focusing people's attention on the big matters that really count.
Yes, even George W. Bush recognized that even a permanent gas tax repeal would be little more than a stunt with no significant positive impact. Now, if he of all people could recognize this, what does it say that Hillary Clinton is pushing a temporary repeal just in time for election season?
***BONUS BUSH IS AN IDIOT QUOTE***
To ensure this post is "fair and balanced," I wouldn't want to leave the impression that Bush's energy policy was well-reasoned. Check out Ari Fleischer's answer to the very next question:
Q Is one of the problems with this, and the entire energy field, American lifestyles? Does the President believe that, given the amount of energy Americans consume per capita, how much it exceeds any other citizen in any other country in the world, does the President believe we need to correct our lifestyles to address the energy problem?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's a big no. The President believes that it's an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one. And we have a bounty of resources in this country. What we need to do is make certain that we're able to get those resources in an efficient way, in a way that also emphasizes protecting the environment and conservation, into the hands of consumers so they can make the choices that they want to make as they live their lives day to day.