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Campaigning in Indiana this past weekend, Barack Obama defended his refusal to pander on the gas tax by advocating -- gasp! -- a real public policy solution to both global warming and our over-reliance on foreign oil:
The irony is with the gas prices what they are, we should be expanding rail service. ... We are going to be having a lot of conversations this summer about gas prices. And it is a perfect time to start talk about why we don't have better rail service. We are the only advanced country in the world that doesn't have high speed rail. We just don't have it. And it works on the Northeast corridor. They would rather go from New York to Washington by train than they would by plane. It is a lot more reliable and it is a good way for us to start reducing how much gas we are using. It is a good story to tell.Since Bill Richardson exited the race, nobody has been talking about public transportation, so hallelujah. Granted, I'd like to see all the candidates follow-up with real, detailed plans for reforming our public transportation infrastructure and the geographic layout of our communities. But acknowledging the problem is a welcome first step.Hat tip: The Washington Independent.--Dana Goldstein
