The Price of Gasoline and the Race for the White House Americans are suffering from increased pain at the gas pump, and Republicans are blaming President Obama. What are the real causes of increased gasoline prices? Can the President persuade voters it's not his fault and that he's doing all he can?

China Overtakes US in Energy Consumption Ten years ago, China consumed half as much energy as the United States.  Now, after economic development at breakneck speed, China is the world’s largest consumer of oil, gas, coal, nuclear power and renewables.

Obama Lambastes Lackluster Regulation of Oil Drilling There’s now a consensus that the Gulf oil spill is at least 10 times bigger than official estimates—and it’s still growing as the gusher beneath the sea continues. Today, President Obama lashed out at all three of the responsible companies.

Today, It's Chrysler... Tomorrow, GM? Big banks who've accepted billions in federal bailouts had little choice when President Obama demanded that they take "haircuts" to keep Chrysler in business. But smaller investors, including hedge funds, said no deal, and now Chrysler's reorganizing in bankruptcy court.

For GM and Chrysler: an Ultimatum President Obama says General Motors and Chrysler have failed to justify their requests for $17 more billions of federal dollars. Bankruptcy is a real possibility. GM has 60 days to come up with a better plan for reorganization; Chrysler has 30 days to pull together a merger with Fiat of Italy. Even if the companies do go bankrupt, the President insists that he won't let the auto industry die: he says Washington will back the warranties on all their new cars. The President compared what's happening to the auto industry to a natural disaster. He spoke directly to the men and women who work in the industry and those who live in communities that depend on it, saying he can't pretend there won't be tough times to come. Will today's drastic actions help to restore it or drive it over a cliff?

The Economic Fallout of Chronically High Oil Prices Two hundred dollars a barrel for oil and $6 a gallon for gasoline--next year.  That's according to experts at Goldman Sachs. Many authorities believe those rising numbers won't ever be coming down and that this is the time for the US to wake up and do something about it. As Congress waits for a new president who might have an energy policy, there's talk of an uprising by angry consumers. Meantime, the International Energy Agency, a multi-national organization based in Paris, is making its first attempt to comprehensively assess the condition of the world's oil supply .  Final results are expected this coming November. But the agency's already worried since aging oil fields and diminished investment may indicate that supply won't meet demand 20 years from now. Has oil reached its peak? Will Americans agree to sacrifice the environment for oil? If there‘s a market for alternatives, will it be ready in time?

Bush and Olmert Explore Mid-East Options after Palestinian Split At the White House today, as expected, President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert discussed their efforts to bolster Mahmoud Abbas in his battle with Hamas.  Both leaders referred to the Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen, as the democratically elected president of all the Palestinian people and to Hamas as the organization that violently attacked the unity government.  Neil King, Jr. is diplomatic correspondent for the Wall Street Journa l.