Gas tax ad war continues

Hillary Clinton today launched the latest salvo in a war of words and ads over one of the few stark policy difference between the Democratic presidential contenders -- a summer gas tax holiday.

"What has happened to Barack Obama?" the announcer asks in the new ad airing in Indiana and North Carolina, which hold primaries on Tuesday. "He is attacking Hillary’s plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn’t have one."

"Hillary wants the oil companies to pay for the gas tax this summer -- so you don’t have to," the announcer continues. "Barack Obama wants you to keep paying; $8 billion in all. Hillary is the one who gets it."

The ad is interspersed with real people talking about the impact of record-high prices at the pump. "Right now we are living paycheck to paycheck," one woman says. "It’s hard to fill up the tank," another says. "Hillary Clinton is the candidate that is going to fight for working people," a man concludes.

UPDATE: Obama quickly struck back with another ad, accusing Clinton of pitching political pablum and offering negative politics.

"A war that should never have been waged. An economy in turmoil. Record prices at the pump. America held hostage to foreign oil," the announcer says in the ad. "And what does Hillary Clinton offer us? More of the same old negative politics."

"Her hometown newspaper says she's taking the low road -- her attacks do nothing but harm," the announcer continues, citing a New York Times editorial that said she had taken the "low road" to a victory in last month's Pennsylvania primary. "The same old Washington politics won't fix our problems. We need honest answers. And a president we can trust."

UPDATE: Clinton spokesman Phil Singer issued a statement, "Considering that Senator Obama is now airing his fourth negative ad in six days, it’s clear that his closing message is focused on attacking Senator Clinton to cover up for the fact that he has no plan to reduce gas prices this summer."

Clinton is proposing suspending the 18.4-cent per gallon federal tax and imposing a windfall profits tax on oil companies to make up the estimated $10 billion that would be taken away from the fund that pays for road and bridge work.

Obama calls the proposal the worst kind of political gimmick that wouldn't save motorists much money, if any, and cites economists who say it is bad policy.

"I meet Hoosiers who are struggling," Obama says in his "closing argument" ad airing in Indiana. "Jobs disappearing, families facing foreclosure, the cost of everything from healthcare to tuition to groceries to gas at the pump going up and up and up.

"And at each stop, he trusts us with the truth," the announcer interjects.

"We could suspend the gas tax for six months," Obama continues. "But that’s not gonna bring down gas prices long-term. That’s typical of how Washington works. Let’s find some short-term quick fix that we can say we did something even though we’re not really doing anything. We’ve got to go after the oil companies and look at their price-gouging. We’ve got to start using less oil, and that means raising fuel-efficiency standards on cars and developing alternative fuels."

Clinton counter-argues that the federal government needs to do something to help struggling families and that farmers and truckers would save far more than the average $30 or so. Both have broadly similar longer-range plans for weaning the United States from foreign oil and investing in so-called green-collar jobs.