Needed: A $1/gal federal gas tax hike

That’s the only way to keep gas prices high enough to create a good consumer “pull” to buy the vehicles Obama’s new CAFÉ plans mandate. But, Obama’s probably allergic to that idea.

Now, you need to phase that tax in slowly enough to not crush people’s incomes, but quickly enough it has a real bite. My suggestion is 20 cents a year for five years, starting in 2010.

(Oh, and we need to find some way to index that tax, too.)