Free Republic

Prices at the pump are third in list of top U.S. worries in poll. WASHINGTON - Unseasonably high gasoline prices are causing a new political headache for the White House and Republican lawmakers already on edge as they head into their re-election campaigns. President Bush's sagging approval ratings over the Iraq war and a host of other problems have led him to begin a White House staff shake-up. New polling data suggest the rising cost of gas could cause more political damage. Three-quarters of Americans said they disapprove of Bush's handling of the gas price surge, according to an ABC...

Republican congressional leaders on Monday urged the Bush administration to investigate whether oil companies are gouging consumers at the gasoline pump and if market speculators are pushing up fuel prices. U.S. retail gasoline prices are above $3 a gallon in many parts of the country and pump costs are forecast to keep rising. Republicans fear they could lose the Senate and House of Representatives in this November's congressional elections if voters retaliate against them for the high fuel prices. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert wrote President George W. Bush and asked him to direct the...