THE SLEEPER ISSUE – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  We've long said here that the sleeper issue in this campaign is gasoline prices.  It's something tens of millions of Americans see every day.  Now look at this, from CNBC: 

Retail gasoline prices, already at the highest levels on average since July 2008, are likely to continue to climb this month as refinery and pipeline problems overshadow weakness in U.S. consumer demand.

On Wednesday night, a fire broke out at Exxon's Baytown, Texas refinery, a 584,000 barrel per day facility that is the largest operating refinery in the U.S.

Exxon said there may be "some impacts to production" from the fire, but the plant will resume normal operations. A partial shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, the nation's largest oil product pipeline, also contributed to supplies fears, as it impacted the portion of the line carrying gasoline from Atlanta to Nashville.

The national average for regular unleaded is now at $3.79 a gallon, basically on par with where pump prices were last Friday.

COMMENT:  Our energy supply line is very thin.  We don't have enough refinery backup.  Obama has put the Keystone Pipeline from Canada on hold, in a bow to environmental extremists.  There is now rise in drilling on the public lands the Obamans control.  We're given dreams of "green energy" that doesn't yet exist. 

Some policy.  Romney should hit those prices every day.  Americans are feeling it.  And he should expand his theme that we can be energy independent in not many years if we unleash the genius of American enterprise. 

The average American is spending over $100 a month more for gasoline now than when Obama took office.  That's $1,200 a year.  A lot of nights out with the family that a lot of Americans won't have.

October 6,  2012