Not sure how the Democrats will be able to capitalize on this, other than the standard "Everything is Bush's fault" line.
They are against drilling, against expanding refining capacity, against nuclear energy, against cutting gas taxes and for ridiculous blending mandates.
What are they going to propose that will do anything/be popular?
They don't have to propose anything. They never do anyway. I believe they'll stay just as negative as usual.
But they can pin the entire problem on Bush and the Republicans. And this isn't a problem that the Republicans can just "spin". It's real, it hits every American in their dearest possession, the wallet.
All the Democrats have to do is insinuate that the Republicans' "Saudi connections" and ties to big business (they can point out the big tax break oil companies receive in the latest budget), are somehow connected to the rise in gas prices.
Even if those aren't the real reasons behind the increase, they sure sound plausible to a lot of people. And since Bush isn't SAYING anything (much less doing anything), it's real easy for people to believe the worst.
People deserve an explanation.