Gas Prices Soar—Oil Companies Continue to Profit:

Gasoline costs Americans nearly a dollar a gallon more this year than it did last, and some experts expect the price of a gallon of gas to rise to $4 a gallon by late spring or early summer. Increased demand is credited as the cause. In the meantime, the oil companies continue to profit while receiving massive tax breaks from the Bush administration. (See the New York Times story, especially for the comparison of costs of energy over the past thirty years. Inflation has tripled in that time period.)

On G. W.'s awareness of his surroundings: "It's good to see so many friends here in the Rose Garden. This is our first event in this beautiful spot, and it's appropriate we talk about policy that will affect people's lives in a positive way in such a beautiful, beautiful part of our national—really, our national park system, my guess is you would want to call it." — George W. Bush, The Rose Garden, February 2001.