Outmaneuvered

On the eve of the Indiana and North Carolina primaries, Barack Obama has allowed Hillary to flank his message.

Last week, McCain and Clinton announced plans for a summer gas-tax holiday, which Obama dismissed as just another political gimmick. He's right of course, but his initial criticism that such a move would endanger critical road projects and maintenance allowed Hillary an opening.

No, she said, don't leave the taxes uncollected. Collect them from the oil companies instead.

Obama stands firm in rejecting this position. Afterall, the oil companies could just raise their prices to cover the additional taxes they would pay.

But still, he's been put in a corner, forced to defend a position that says, "I don't want to help average Americans with outrageous gas prices."

When a politician stands between voters and the money they see as theirs - even as small amount like $30 for the summer - he (or she) just can't win.

Case in point: The tax rebates may not have been financially responsible. But the second the words were stated publicly in Washington, no one could oppose it. Once the words were said, everybody in the country knew how they wanted to spend/save that money. Anyone who resisted the plan, or slowed it down too much, would just be standing between voters and their money.