Hillary Rodham Clinton blasted Barrack Obama yesterday for opposing a plan to suspend federal gas taxes this summer.
“My opponent, Sen. Obama, opposes giving consumers a break from the gas tax,” Clinton said in North Carolina.
“I understand the American people need some relief.”
Clinton and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain back the proposal to halt the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Play Obama Vs. Hillary Deathmatch!
She said she would impose a “windfall profit tax on oil companies to pick up the lost revenues.
“If we suspended it and made up the lost revenues, that’s the best of both worlds,” she said.
But Obama claimed the savings at the pump won’t amount to much.
“Keep in mind that the federal gas tax is about 5 percent of your gas bill,” he said.
“If it lasts for three months, you’re going to save about $25 or $30, or a half a tank of gas.”
Clinton was also poised to pick up a key endorsement. A source said North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley will endorse her, which would make him the second superdelegate in the Obama-leaning state to back her, with six for Obama.
Meanwhile, a new poll on McCain’s military record gave a boost to his candidacy.
Two-thirds of Americans consider the Arizona Senator a war hero because of his military service and his years as a Vietnam prisoner of war, according to a Gallup survey.
The poll found that nearly 40 percent of those surveyed said McCain’s military record made them more inclined to vote for him.
Nearly all Americans know that the former Navy fighter pilot spent five-and-half years in captivity after being shot down behind enemy lines.
McCain’s war hero status crossed party lines, with six in ten Democrats saying he’s a hero.