"Thanks GW, for doing nothing about this"
Tell me again, how the president can do anything to control the stock market?
These high prices were based on a 'speculative' outcome of (possibly) predicted disasters that didn't occur.
Releasing part of the reserve into the market would have done nothing, especially since the market is 'flooded' with oil as it is.
How is the president supposed to 'control' this?
He could have told them that price gouging would not be tolerated. Set the Justice Dept to investigate this(instead of watching head shops), thereby causing second thoughts amongst the crooked enterprises. That would have gone a long way to keeping prices at least slightly lower, and would have been the miminum required.