We get it, Associated Press. We get it!
Rising gasoline prices are NOT President Obama's fault. Or so you want us to believe. However, could you be just a little less blatant in pitching that line? As it is, your lack of subtlety in hammering home that message is embarrassing to read such as your latest example in which you mention that some people blame Obama along with a lot of other reasons but the only people you actually cite in the article on the subject of presidential responsibility are those who find him faultless in the price rise:
From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer. And the cost is becoming a political issue just as the presidential campaign kicks into high gear.
Some blame President Barack Obama. Some just cite "the government," while others believe it's the work of big, greedy oil companies. No matter who is responsible, almost everyone seems to want the government to do something, even if people aren't sure what, exactly, it should or can do.
Yeah, some blame President Barack Obama but not anybody you cite in your article. The first person quoted is one Chris Kaufman who (surprise, surprise) does not blame Obama:
Chris Kaufman, who spends $120 a week on gas to travel the 60 miles between his two jobs, at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls and at a hotel in Vermillion, S.D., blames the price spike on threats from Iran to cut off oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
"I think the candidates running for president need to take a good hard look at that and determine what their foreign policy is going to be for countries that threaten to do that," he said. "It's going to affect every single citizen in the United States."
Still, he believes the president has little control over gas prices, adding that it is commodities traders who really dictate prices.
The next person up at bat in the AP lineup agrees with the first guy that Obama is blameless:
Trucker Cory Nissen of Ruther Glen, Va., agrees.
"The president is nothing but a fall guy," Nissen said as he took a break from his rig at a stop in Wilton, N.Y., earlier this week.
Where oh where can someone be found that holds Obama accountable for the rising gasoline prices especially considering that he has thus far refused to grant approval for the northern end of the Keystone Pipeline that will deliver oil from the Alberta oil sands in Canada? Not in this AP story since they claim that the president (and Congress) are pretty much helpless bystanders:
In truth, there is not a lot the president and Congress can do in the short term to push down gasoline prices. They are tied to oil prices, which have climbed in recent months, pushed by increased consumption from developing nations in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and by concerns about supply disruptions in Iran and elsewhere.
All the president has done recently is shoot down any proposal to extend the Keystone pipeline to Canada. Therefore we must hold him eternally blameless as the next person AP cites who is grumbling about gas prices but still plans to vote for Obama:
In New York City, some cab drivers say the high cost of gas is prompting them to race through the streets of Manhattan even more recklessly than usual to pick up more passengers during a shift.
"When the gas is up, the money you make is going down," said Less Sylla, who paid $4.17 a gallon earlier this week. "You see a lot of drivers, they're driving, boom-boom-boom, because the lease is too high and it's working on their minds. So that's why they go like that, and it causes a lot of accidents."
Sylla, who said he will vote for Obama, blames greedy oil companies.
Had this cab driver blamed Obama, his viewpoint would have been conveniently cleansed from the article. The bonus here is that he supports Obama...which is the best way to be mentioned in an AP article.
Finally an AP encore with yet another who finds Obama faultless:
Milton Walker Jr., whose Louisiana tour company takes vacationers on boat rides through the alligator-infested swamps, said he raised prices last year because of the increased cost of fuel and will do it again if gas hits $5 a gallon. He blames the Federal Reserve, saying it hasn't kept inflation in check.
"I don't think it matters who's president," he said.
Gee, AP, is it really that difficult to find someone who would blame Obama for rising gasoline prices in your article?
