Barbour: Administration Favors Rising Gas Prices

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is accusing the Obama administration of favoring higher energy prices as a way to prod Americans to buy more fuel-efficient cars.

Barbour, a potential presidential candidate, on Wednesday cited comments from President Barack Obama's energy secretary, Steven Chu. In a 2008 interview, Chu said a gradual increase in gasoline taxes could help move people away from gas-guzzling vehicles.

Obama has distanced himself from those comments. But Barbour says it is more proof that Obama wants to increase energy costs. Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman, says increased gas prices have had a devastating effect on his state's economy, and he says Obama wants to double those prices.