BULLY PULPIT

Obama Taps Gas-Price Task Force

To “root out” fraud in oil markets.

If President Obama can bring down gas prices, that should really help his flagging approval ratings. The president announced Thursday that he’d be putting together a special task force to examine rising costs, which have recently surged to $4 per gallon. “We’re going to make sure that no one is taking advantage of the American people for their own short-term gain,” Obama announced, pledging to “root out” fraud in the oil markets. The populist appeal of the move—Obama unveiled it at a campaign-style town hall meeting—is especially evident given that Attorney General Eric Holder recently dismissed any shady goings-on in the markets, citing “lawful reasons for increases in gas prices, given supply and demand.”