Do My Ears Deceive Me?!

In a rare departure from the media's template on gas price reporting, you know, raise the specter of price gouging, blaming SUVs and other "gas guzzlers," et cetera, CBS's Julie Chen actually mentioned that lack of oil refining capacity is seen by experts as one factor in high gas prices.

Chen relayed this as the second item in her 8:30 a.m. newsdesk briefing on today's edition of The Early Show.

Julie Chen: "The price of gas makes hitting the highway expensive, especially in California. In Hollywood, drivers are now paying $2.99/gallon for regular unleaded. But so far, it's not stopping people from filling up."

Unidentified man at gas station: "Three bucks a gallon isn't nice but, if it bothered me, I'd think of some way around it, right? Drive less."

Chen: "Experts say one reason gas costs so much in California is because the state is in dire need of more oil refineries."