This is what's frustrating, McCain said a tax holiday wouldn't mean anything to the consumer. Translated this means the price of gas will not go down.

He says "we need this tax holiday" Who needs it? Oil companies.

He adds some gratuitous fluff about lower income families being hit the hardest and needing this tax break. this simply does nothing for lower income families, it doesn't give truckers a break, it does nothing but give tax revenue that the government does in fact desperately need to oil companies who are making more money than they ever have.

How can people read into this a good message that means anything? How about voters getting smart enough to ask specifics on what this will do for the consumer and insist on an answer? I can't help but think that the same people who buy into meaningless rhetoric would be so pissed off if anyone actually got through to them with how stupid this administration knows they are and how easily they trust and are duped into silly policies like drill for more oil.

Reading many of these responses it is clear that there are a lot of people who's brains are not making connections with reality.

You'll see where they acknowledge the expert economist's position is that this won't be something the consumer will see, McCain says this won't make any difference and adds that we need this tax holiday. They are talking about the fact that oil companies will not pass the tax savings on, they just pocket it without even saying thank you very much.

There is no benefit to this tax holiday for anyone but the oil companies who don't have to pay the tax to a government that needs the money very much.

You have to know that there are lobbyists and senators meeting in country clubs laughing and telling jokes about how stupid the american people are to support giving huge money to oil companies in ways that they admit upfront won't help the consumer.

What part of catching on to an administration that operates on the premise that people are gullible to hype when they are faced with crisis is so hard to wise up to? Why don't people realize that the government has the power and authority to regulate gas prices? You want to talk about what we need it's rolled back prices which can happen tomorrow if a state of economic emergency is declared. We can roll back prices to negate excessive profits.

Someone was commenting on the fact Obama won't say much about this, although he has said it's a worthless idea.

In order for there to be debate there has to be reasons and explanations, and here's the key, that are listened to.

He can say and back it up with perfect logic any thinking person could follow but all McCain has to say is "we need this tax holiday" and that's enough for his followers. You can't have meaningful debate with Gerbils.

If Obama asked McCain directly why he thinks this tax holiday would do anything for the american people he wouldn't get an answer except to emphasize that the american people are hurting and they need it.

To get a faith follower to listen to any logic behind any issue would be like getting them to listen to opposing views on genesis. There is simply nobody at the wheel when it comes to thinking about an issue logically.

Politicians shouldn't be accountable for the law, they should be above the law?

You are looking at the recipe for graft, corruption, and coverups and public misinformation.

Government officials are in a position of public trust, that has many ramifications. The most important is that we are in a position where we need to be able to trust those who are running the biggest economy in the world. A president ordering an environmental study at a cost of millions of dollars so that wise and timely decisions can be made as to where to focus tremendous resources needs to be trusted. The report by a oversight agency that determines risks to humans or projected critical deficits needs to be 100% trustworthy. A president asking for deletions or falsifications on matters of safety and health is a crime that affects millions of people.

Criminal prosecution for illegal acts is the only thing that keeps people honest and trustworthy. Take away accountability why wouldn't you steal 50 million dollars if there isn't a downside? Why wouldn't you pad out a defense contract by a few billion dollars when you know that contractor will make you a several million a year retirement consultant? Why not keep wrongfully detained prisoners in jail rather than cause a political embarrassment when you know you'll be above the law?

The law is what keeps us safe from abusive government, it protects our money from those who have proximity to massive funds, and it keeps good politicians good as opposed to becoming involved with an excessively wasteful big business oriented faction.

Government officials in positions of power and trust are the ones that should be held to the highest level of adherence to the law. Deviations should be grounds for immediate prosecution and dismissal, and those who misappropriate public funds should be imprisoned and forced to make full restitution not token partial returns.

in direct response to the woman who said politicians would be afraid to take chances if they can be prosecuted, that is exactly why they need to be held responsible. It is their fear of personal accountability that will require them to do their job of keeping superiors in line. If Bush asks someone to do something illegal that person should be saying he is sorry but he can't do that as it is illegal.

We are destroying the oversight that is built in for that exact reason. Nobody including the president should be able to get away with even thinking he is above the law, thinking it is grounds for impeachment.