Kudos to Obama

I'd like to tip my hat to Obama (yeah, yeah, big surprise).

McCain and Clinton are both calling to drop the federal gas tax for the summer. That would take 18.4 cents off of each gallon of gas for the summer.

This is in the Times: "Mr. Obama derided the McCain-Clinton idea of a federal tax holiday as a “short-term, quick-fix” proposal that would do more harm than good, and said the money, which is earmarked for the federal highway trust fund, is badly needed to maintain the nation’s roads and bridges."

And then this: "Mr. Obama said lifting the gas tax for three months would save the average consumer no more than $30, a figure confirmed by Congressional analysts. ...“Half a tank of gas,” Mr. Obama told his audience. “That’s his big solution.”

I think this is a case where Obama rising above the obvious political move is a net gain for him. First, it allows the New York Times to write things like "McCain-Clinton idea," something Clinton probably doesn't like. And he gets back to his message that paints Clinton as "same old Washington." He's also taking the high road on an easy choice. If lifting the gas tax really only saves everyone $30 over the entire summer, then I think that's argument he can win. It would also likely cost 300,000 construction jobs (also according to the article).

Regardless of what you think of the gas tax, I'd venture that Clinton's position isn't consistent with her stated goal of weening the US off foreign oil, where Obama's position is consistent with his energy policy.