I guess we should take his word for it, since he's an expert of surreptitious political stunts. What's more underhanded than a so-called objective "journalist" engaging in outright deception in order to rig an election?

However, don't oil prices go down, anyway, during the fall, due to seasonal decline of demand? This is hardly Criswellian prognostication. But if the libs need some sort of fake conspiracy to screech about, I suppose this do in a pinch.

Lowering fuel prices the old fashioned way..

Compliments of a MRC post by Rich Noyes, a few years back Rather, Cafferty, Mathews and clones would be advised to remember a bit more of history here: 

First - An old  MediaNomics article in which we are reminded that it is illegal to tap the SPR just to lower prices in an election year. So to help Al Gore, the Clintonistas had to assert that supply disruptions were a major problem:

NBC’s Tim Russert...interviewed Bill Richardson, the Secretary of Energy, on the September 24 [2000] edition of Meet the Press. Russert knew that the oil reserve couldn’t legally be tapped simply to lower prices; the relevant provisions of the law focus on supply interruptions, emergency situations or energy supply shortages. Richardson acknowledged as much at his news conference on September 22, but Russert asked him again: "So, this is not about price. It’s about disruption of supply?"

"This is about disruption of supply," Richardson agreed. "This is to increase the supply. We are not trying to manipulate prices."

One should also remember that said auction was a complete failure. It took many months for the Clinton/Gore folks to sort-of pull it off. The first effort was a miserable failure, marked by unqualified successful bidders - one being a disabled man living with his mom in an upstairs run-down apartment in New Jersey someplace (now where was he going to put 5 million barrels). Also someone, down in Florida, connected to Rev. Jackson supposedly got in on the bidding - and in the end, it was said that the oil was mostly gobbled up from foreign interests. Good job Al.

Second: Let's not forget CNN's [CNN Live Today] interview with Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan on April 20, 2004

..First though, the continued fallout of "Plan of Attack," that is the newly published book by Bob Woodward. He appeared last night on CNN's Larry King to soften the charge that Saudi Arabia planned to manipulate oil prices to benefit President Bush's re-election campaign. The scenario involved a longtime friend of the Bush family, Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB WOODWARD, AUTHOR, "PLAN OF ATTACK": What I say in the book is according to Bandar, the Saudis hoped to control oil prices in the 10 months running up to the election, because if they skyrocketed, it would hurt the American economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The Saudi prince also called into the program to say that Woodward's portrayal was accurate but the mutual interest is not unusual.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE BANDAR BIN SULTAN, SAUDI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: We hoped that oil prices would stay low because that's good for America's economy. But more important, it's good for our economy and international economy. And this is not -- nothing unusual. President Clinton asked us to keep the prices down in the year 2000. In fact, I can go back to 1979, President Carter asked us to keep the prices down to avoid the malaise. So yes, in our interest and the America's interest to keep the prices down.

Well, at least Senator McCain, according to Rather's snide effort here, is using our own assests to pull us thru, rather than getting favors from the Saudi's and/or attempting to acution off out strategic oil reserves (leaving us at risk) just to get Mr. I tell you, "I'm Green," Al Gore, elected.

  I believe these 'conspiricy' theories are just covering bases in case the price does come down.  By convincing the gullible that any price drop is manipulation and not market forces then, hopefully, the voters will be angered instead of pleased.  It's very similar to all the warnings the dem operatives put out about how the 'Republican attack machine' was going to savage obama unfairly.  This was to set up the condition where the gullible would not listen to the content of critism about obama but instead focus their attention on the source of the criticism.

What an idiot! I thought Big oil loved Pres Bush and VP Cheney. Hey Dan why wouldn't big oil lower prices to help out 2 of their own. Help Bush's legacy?