As C-Note Falls Flat, GOP Looks for Plan B on Gas

Some Republicans thought they were being clever indeed with their plan to respond to soaring gasoline prices by giving most drivers a $100 rebate. At a news conference last week to unveil the idea, Sen. James M. Talent (R-Mo.) declared, "It will show people that Washington gets it."

Many voters, however, concluded that Washington does not get it. Besieged with complaints about political pandering, GOP lawmakers now say the rebate idea is a non-starter. As Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) explained yesterday, "When my own daughter harasses me, you know you're in trouble."

Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the White House are well aware that $3-per-gallon gas spells trouble. But as the fumbling over the rebate showed, they are not at all clear what, if anything, they can or should do about it.

The response so far has been profiles in panic. Some conservatives dropped their philosophical opposition to tax hikes and business regulations and began complaining loudly about oil companies and the auto industry.

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