Department of can't do anything right

Lead story on washingtonpost.com:

President Bush, saying "gas prices are on our mind," said today the government is again prepared to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to alleviate any gas shortages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
He called on Americans to "pitch in" and conserve gas by reducing non-essential travel, teaming up in carpools and using mass transit.

Good advice, thanks. W used to insist, rightly, that the SPR was only for emergencies. We guess sub-40 approval ratings constitute an emergency now. Because:

CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Gasoline prices that reached all-time highs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina fell by an average of 20 cents a gallon in the past two weeks as some Gulf Coast refineries resumed production, according to a nationwide survey.