Unfortunately, while Obama has clearly been bold overseas, he has not really heeded Podesta's advice here at home. Gas prices that have climbed to $4 a gallon and could go higher are but the latest bludgeon the American middle class has had to endure. But it's also one problem Obama could help solve as quickly and decisively as he did in ordering the hit on Osama bin Laden. Indeed, these high fuel prices threaten the overall U.S. economic recovery. Yet, Obama could order an immediate draw-down of crude oil in the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve — which would nearly instantly flood the market with new supplies. Grateful consumers would start to see lower prices at the pump pretty quickly. Democrats have been pushing the president to do just this for weeks now, noting that both Clinton and Bush each tapped the reserves during their presidencies, to good effect. Yet Obama has resisted pulling that trigger. Instead, he's ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to form a task force to root out fraud in the oil markets.
That's all well and good, but task forces don't bring struggling consumers the immediate relief they crave — and deserve. After all, the president didn't just convene another task force to investigate bin Laden. He signed an order, made it happen, and solved the problem. The nation, and the world, are grateful for his bold move to rid us of bin Laden.
We consumers, read voters, would be just as grateful to finally see at least one quick fix to help us here at home, too.
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