“So Barack Obama was for a gas tax cut before he was against it. Apparently he has more in common with former Democratic Presidential candidates than he cares to admit.

In his defense, Senator Obama says the suspension of the state sales tax on gasoline he supported as an Illinois lawmaker had more safeguards to ensure consumer savings, and didn’t turn out to be of much help anyway. He also said he thought that rising gas prices were ‘extraordinary circumstances’ that demanded action when he voted for the tax relief in March of 2000.

What’s changed since then? Gas prices are more than twice as high as they were eight years ago, and Barack Obama has special-interest constituencies who want to keep taxes high to keep the federal highway pork-barrel as fat as possible.

Senator McCain hasn’t always been right on tax policy, but his proposal for a federal gas tax holiday makes sense. No, it won’t cure motorists’woes overnight, but it will provide a little relief when Americans need it most. Just as important, suspending federal gas taxes is one of the few things government can do to help consumers cope, without making the problem worse.

If someone’s sick with the flu, you don’t deny them an aspirin to help ease the pain even though you know they may need other medicine too. Politicians who oppose a gas tax holiday should stop dithering and start delivering the aspirin that motorists could sure use right now."