AP: “Obama says new task force will examine gas prices:”
President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Justice Department will try to “root out” cases of fraud or manipulation in oil markets, even as Attorney General Eric Holder suggested a variety of legal reasons may be behind gasoline’s surge to $4 a gallon.”We are going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain,” Obama said at a town-hall style meeting at a renewable energy plant in Reno.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.84 on Thursday, about 30 cents higher than a month ago and almost a dollar higher than a year ago.
AdvertisementObama, decrying such levels as yet another hardship “at a time when things were already pretty tough,” said Holder was forming the Financial Fraud Enforcement Working Group.
The task force will focus some of its investigation on “the role of traders and speculators” in the oil-price surge Obama said. The group will include several Cabinet department officials, federal regulators and the National Association of Attorneys General.
In Washington, Holder said he would press ahead with the investigation, even though he did not cite any current evidence of intentional manipulation of oil and gas prices or fraud.
No word yet if Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will be among those Holder will depose for keeping gas prices artificially high:
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Also, no word yet if the prices have risen as gradually as candidate Obama preferred in 2008:
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Also, no word yet if Obama will tell more people to simply trade in their cars and accept the higher gas prices:
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And of course, the MSM is being as schizophrenic as the president — alternately running articles such as the one above deploring the rise of gasoline prices…
…And condoning their rise as Obama has done.
Rhetorical exit question: How does AP run an article like that with a straight face, when this administration has been so outspoken — from the campaign trail onward — about wanting to raise energy prices through the roof?
Related: “The Buck Stops A-Ways Over There,” Steve Green writes at Vodkapundit. And come to think of it, a Martini or three contemplating the price of gasoline this summer doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
Has no one noticed the odd part of the quote I pasted below? The tickets to the event were supposed to be 38,500 a head, but according to their own words, this entire table of women paid 5,000 total for the table. nad there were still empty seats!
His campaign claims a 3 million dollar haul from the appearance, but I’m betting that’s another lie. 599 times 150 ain’t 3 million yet. News Flash: Barry couldn’t sell out a phone booth in San Fran at this point.
Read the paragraph slowly and see if I’m missing something. I think 38,500 turned into 500 using Obama math.
“Mr. Obama was in the middle of his remarks when a woman in a white suit stood up and said, Mr. President we wrote you a song. POTUS tried to get her to wait until later, but she persisted and the table of 10 broke into a song that pointed out they’d just spent $5,000 donating to his campaign and went on to protest the treatment of Pfc. Bradley Manning. The woman stayed standing as they sang. Mr. Obama looked to Ms. Pelosi and asked, Nancy did you do this? Ms. Pelosi had a look on her face, as she stared at the singing group, that definitely said she did not. The song – will send quotes after transcribe – talked about Bradley Manning and how he is “alone in a cell…”
This sounds like OJ “searching for the real killer”.
Heh. Yeah, it seems real killers and serial gas price gougers like to hide out on golf courses, apparently.
If he is looking for manipulators, he should talk to Bill Clinton.
I think the whole manipulation of oil prices is being done by Clinton’s buddy Pardonee Marc Rich and his company Glencore. (Formerly Marc Rich & Co)
They have an IPO shortly and high oil prices will certainly help boost the stock price.
Glencore is Swiss so good luck on finding anything out.
John Henry
For his next trick, he will name a commission to examine why it keeps getting light and dark alternately every 24 hours.