Cheney Knocks McCain's Gas Tax Holiday

WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday rejected a suspension of the federal gasoline tax as proposed by his party's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain. Cheney said it would offer little help to consumers coping with gas prices around $4 a gallon.

The vice president's critique went further than President Bush's own comments on the idea, which appears dead anyway.

"I think it's a false notion, in the sense that you're not going to have much of an impact, given the size of the gasoline tax on the total cost of the gallon of gas," Cheney said when asked about the matter during a luncheon appearance. "You might buy a little bit of relief there, but it's minimal."

The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline on Monday was $3.98, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Of that total, the federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon.

Both McCain, R-Ariz., and a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, have proposed suspending the tax.

Bush has said he would consider any idea from Congress, but he was not enthusiastic about it.

Democratic leaders in Congress have shown little interest, too, and no votes are anticipated on the matter in the House or the Senate.

The gas tax is the main source of revenue for the Highway Trust Fund that provides grants for highway and bridge construction and repair.

Cheney said the broader solution is to expand the exploration of energy sources in the United States. Bush has long called for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil development, which is strongly opposed by environmentalists, most Democrats and a few moderate Republicans.

The vice president spoke in a Q&A session at the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize luncheon.

When asked about the scathing tell-all book by Bush's former press secretary Scott McClellan, Cheney said he hadn't read it and had no plans to do so. But he did pointedly comment when asked generally about former administration officials who write such books, saying, "I thought Bob Dole got it about right."

Dole said, among other things, that "there are miserable creatures" like McClellan in every administration who are spurred on by greed. Cheney's comment comes after White House press secretary Dana Perino has said the White House harbors "no ill feelings" toward McClellan.

Comments

[TGCNY]

Why lie about it now when he is about to leave off.

[lisakaz2]

How about we stop SUBSUDIZING Big Oil AND make 'em pay a fair share of taxes? And they are not allowed to jack up the price (because they're scamming us anyhow).

[awcbuddy8]

Yes, forcing the oil companies to pay more will cause them to lower prices. Genius.

[Y2KCockroach]

There should be no suspension of the gas tax. I know that this is hard for some people to get their brains around (for example, "cla62" at 10:17am), but this is just the marketplace kicking the consumer in the nuts, the way it is supposed to work. Consumers will make the adjustment to public transportation, and to fuel-efficient vehicles, etc. The idea that the gas tax should be suspended in the meantime is just more short-term thinking, with the net result that our children will be left paying more of the growing national debt that we are leaving for them. And hey cla62, where the hell do you think that the lost revenues from the suspended gas tax are going to come from? You talk about "letting the people keep their money in their own pockets", but in fact you and your ilk are simply leaving more of China's money in your pocket, borrowing from Chinese banks like crazy and leaving our grandchildren to pay for it. No, you and your generation need to wear this one. The next generation will drive fuel efficient vehicles, will engage in creative thinking, and will pay their bills; they will have to, because people like you refused to.

[kappa08]

oops...I guess that bullet train idea proposed by those "zany left wingers" doesn't look like such a bad idea anymore.
When are people going to realize that "forward thinkers" are always right.
It's the mental midgets and intellectually uncurious leaders that you Americans keep propping up to power because of your own insecurities that keep you in pain. But I guess things like the right to pray in schools, abortion and the freedom to be a glutton and drive crap that gets 12 mpg is what's really important. Keep chasing your tails. Maybe you'll get is some day...pppfffttt

[OhioJan]

In NO WAY, shape or form is this concurring with THAT demon, but I find it both amusing AND pityful how McCain AND his BFF, clinton are, TO THIS DAY, STILL pandering the "gas tax holiday" to there followers! Seriously, were these two the BEST BOTH PARTIES could really come up with to run for POTUS? It's just pathetic!

[hardlyhikin]

No, actually Barack Obama is the best we Democrats have come up with to run for POTUS.

[the964kid]

Isnt that the tax holiday Hillary also wanted??

[jonboy3000]

The Washington Post had an article this morning that said the use of mass transportation is up 10% as a result of the high gas. Even though the cost is painful to us all, we will move quicker to alternatives because of the high prices. I guess in a way the oil companies are cutting their own throats because we will move to alternatives. I would like the billions of dollars in oil industry subsidies ended and the money used to develop new technologies.

[cnobody]

although I have nothing to base this theory on, I don't think the oil or auto companies are cutting their own throats in this. I think they're the ones who are suddenly going to come out with an alternative fuel source, so that they can keep themselves in their comfy position. it'll be "hey, we've got hydrogen cars now! Come buy a hydrogen car because there's really no other manufactured alternative out there right now!" we'll be put in a position to either embrace the choice the auto industry has chosen for us or DIY it somehow. that could be malarky, but that's been on my mind ever since Bush championed hydrogen cars a few years ago in the state of the Union address.

[richcpl]

Cheney thinks it's a bad idea? Hmm. Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all.

[lwaxanatroi]

You should have put this on "reading the pictures." If I ever saw two guys who despise one another....

[controversy101]

So Cheney agrees with his cousin on this issue. Good, at least we know we saved jobs for road construction workers. Why save 18 cents, knowing it would displace people from jobs?

[filo]

Gee I was against suspending the gas tax until this.

If Cheney is against it I may have to rethink this. Hmmm

[PoliticoJonze]

Of course Big Oil luvin' Cheney wouldn't like it. However he is right, but I certainly wouldn't hang my hat on Cheney's dismissal of it if I was Obama or the DNC. McCain could use this to show distance between he and the Bush White House, however this is a bad issue to bring back to the forefront because it flatly is a bad idea and it's nver a good idea to keep linking yourself to a bad idea.

[Viper]

Actuallly BIg Oil speculators would like the Gas tax Holiday. It increases the amt they can bid up the price of oil, before demand decreases because of a higher price. Its great for speculators and just the talk of such a gas tax holiday help feul the greatest increase in the price of oil in 100 years over the past 6 weeks. Thanks McCcain and Hillary. The price of a gallon has increased twice the 18 cents you were going to save and in part on your bad idea.

Regards

[cla62]

What's spot on about letting the people keep their money in their own pockets? So what, it's a temporary fix. That temporary fix would have saved Americans tens of millions of dollars. But the dems have an answer, just raise everybodies taxes, and give out a little more free cheese, that will keep them happy until someone else is elected in a few years. How about instead of saving a couple of caribou we start drilling for some of our own oil. If we would have started back in the early 90s when bubba was king shit we would be reaping the benefits, or maybe build a few more nuclear power plants. but instead, at least we still have a couple of hundred 3rd and 4th generation caribou nobody will ever see or care about, eating and sleeping comfortably in northern alaska. Every answer either dem. candidate has for any problem we have as americans only cost us more money. Their isn't one cost cutting measure on the table that they haven't already planned on spending the savings for on another socialist project.

[Waltb31]

If your "solution" was viable, a solution by the way that has been effect the last 7 1/2 years, then why is the economy in a mess? The fact is that this "Trickle Down Theory" fails miserably because the very people you trust to do the right thing, by reinvesting their enormous tax cuts in new job creation and business development doesn't happen. These companies and by extension the CEO's and major stockholders use this increased windfall to enrich their own personal fortunes.
It is indeed unfortunate that the corrupt business people would rather outsource jobs, and line their pockets than help the economy by reinvesting in the American people.
This isn't just liberal mantra; this is what happened with the so-called Reagan Revolution.
Now you want to turn over the protected lands to the oil companies. The supply would increase, but the price would not.
The only effective way to reduce the price of oil is to reduce demand. Ergo, the drop in SUV sales, and the move toward Green solutions.
Relying on Bush/McCain economics will put this country into a depression, primarily because of the greed of the top 0.5% of the population, who controls 3/4ths of the wealth of this country.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

It will also cost job loss, I know you don't care but more people out of work will sink the economy further.

[benwha]

Two things:
1. drilling in ANWAR is not a long term solution
2. the price of gas is set by market forces, reducing the taxes only increase the profits of oil companies.

It was a bad idea period.

I actually hope your post is a joke.

[MelloY]

At least the Democrats are somewhat honest about it. The Republicans say they are going to cut programs and save money. Instead they spend just as much, if not more, money and put us into further debt.

[blueshield]

Wow, don't know where to start. First, read up on Bakken oil play, the new discoveries in the Gulf, and the known fields in Alaska that oil companies are sitting on. They have minimal environmental impact. The oil is there for the pumping, and there's no restrictions keeping companies from doing so except prices. Blaming caribou is pure bs.

Taxes on gasoline fund the repair and building of bridges, roads and freeways - if you're happy with them the way they are, have at it. If your car goes into the water, don't come whining later. Or maybe you're a freemarket guy - let's just let the private sector solve the problem? Yeah, they're lining up in droves.

As for raising everybodies taxes, how do you propose to pay off the huge loans to the Chinese this Administration has racked up to pay for the trillions of dollars being pumped down the Iraq hole? Or maybe you like being in debt to them and the Saudis. Yeah, that's real independence.

Wise up. You've been taken for a ride and left holding the bag.

[SpoxLogic]

Has anyone else noticed that as time passes, a lot of what Obama said on the issues have been pretty much spot-on, even when unpopular at the time?

Does taht count as showing good judgement?

Just wondering...

[Nolawi]

indeed....

[2liveNdie]

I have!!

Good judgment on the war against Iraq.

Good judgment on the so called gasoline tax cut for the summer.

And most importantly the judgment to bet on us Americans that want a better future and government!

[pupbayer]

Not really...Wright, Pfleger, Rezko, Ayers, Moss, Meeks, Barrow, McClurkin, Farrakhan, Khalidi. Need I go on?

[lisakaz2]

Yeah, since name dropping of vague acquaintences proves nothing. How about Phil Gramm's corporate banking lobbyist work? (He's McSame's econ advisor.)

[Dane1911]

Wow it amazes me that once again the so called elitist, inexperience and unpatriotic nominee like Obama actually care about telling the American people the truth even when it can damage his political career. That’s a president willing to take a blow in order to respect the American citizens. When Hillary and McCain were pandering about the gas tax, they were just trying to produce political points. I remember when the mass majority of politicians and over 200 economists spoke out against this holiday gas tax. Hillary and McCain profoundly criticize Obama for not caring about the American people when all along they were the ones boldly lying to us and preying on our financial emotions. Obama may not have the long resume like Hillary and McCain but look at what the White House Administration did to America; and they have a long list of experience on their resume. I rather have a President that is honest, have self-respect, physically powerful leadership skills, passionate about his country and have an extraordinary judgment.