I have to admit that I was a little worried that Obama would back this silly holiday idea as well. I'm glad to hear that he hasn't.

NC and IN: Obama is offering you a blank check for "change" for your vote.

Just be sure you can pay the taxes.

This is in fact a very important moment that has the potential to allow Obama to pivot from the silly symbolism of the Wright affair, to a perfect and critical contrast between himself and Mrs. Clinton (and less importantly McCain).

Mrs. Clinotn is both trying to "buy" votes and denigrate Obama (he doesn't care about/undestand your lives). You might just call it pandering, if indeed Mrs. Clinton was offering the voters something (such as Bill's famous $500 a family tax credit that never happened). In fact, she is not actually offering anyone a break. A gas tax holiday will for very obvious reasons to anyone with knowledge of economic not lower gas prices. Paul Krugman, no friend to Obama, explains it very succintly here:

Let's be clear, it would not save the average family even $30, since that assumes the price per gallon would in fact fall by the total amount of the current tax.

So Mrs. Clinton is trying to buy votes, and undermine Obama's connection to the average voter with a promise that sounds good and delivers with very high certainty, practically nothing (at least she's paying for it...hah)

Mrs. Clinton will say anything to get elected. She will play on the very real vulnerabilities of the people to pretend she is more sincere than her opponent. But in fact, there is no sincerity at all, none. If she has even one competent advisor they should be able to tell her this proposal will do nothing at all.

Of all three candidates, only Obama has the courage to tell the voters this simple truth. There are no easy, cost free short-term fixes to rising gas prices. And the problem with our politics is how easily politicians think it is to lie to the people about this just to score points.

Another way to put this: this is the policy equivalent of the "Tuzla story", build yourself up with something that is demonstrably false.

Obama needs to keep hitting this hard (hopefully more succintly) over and over until Tuesday.

Considering neither McCain nor HRC will be president this summer it would be difficult to enforce. They are pandering. It is a political gimmick to mislead the voters.

Like Ben, Iam also relieved that Barack did not cave to this ploy.

TonyB is correct it will cost billions. Moreover that is money that pays for repairing roads and bridges and the workers' salaries, too.

While HRC may be a policy wonk she lacks creative, alternative ideas. Why not improve the public transit system instead or what about constructing bicycle paths or something that would improve the situation long-term?

Thirty dollars today gets you around the block maybe. And there is no guarantee it would even save thirty dollars, most estimates are lower -- some by half. But then again it would depend on how much people drive this summer, I suppose.

One thing for sure is that thirty dollars will not even pay for a full tank of gas!