GOVERNOR SETS ANOTHER LOW

When politicians sell themselves to demagoguery, they deserve contempt. Yesterday, Gov. Bob Holden accelerated his descent into such depths in a speech before a group of protesters in St. Louis blaming President Bush for rising gasoline and energy costs.

In his prepared speech, Holden said natural-gas prices in Missouri rose 350 percent last year as propane prices jumped 82 percent.

Hello, Mr. Governor, and who was president then?

Who was governor of Missouri?

Barely a week after Bush outlined a comprehensive plan to address the long-term energy problems in the United States, which the previous administration ignored and which Bush predicted during the campaign, Holden had the audacity to claim: "It's time the president of the United States steps up to the plate and provides some leadership."

When asked by reporters what he planned to do in Missouri about rising gasoline prices, Holden said he would consider setting aside Missouri's gasoline tax. This is the same governor who, two weeks ago, was lambasting state senators for not passing his transportation plan, which included significant gasoline-tax increases.

What did Holden suggest President Bush do?

Set price controls for energy.

Excuse me, Mr. Governor, but even President Clinton rejected this idea as foolish economics. Want a microcosm of the effects of price controls? Just take a look at California, which is suffering rolling blackouts in part because the government there instituted a form of price controls.

Actually, Holden's appearance at the St. Louis rally had little to do with encouraging real action to address the growing energy crisis in the country. He showed up 75 minutes late for the rally and spoke only briefly. Instead, he was lending his name to a coordinated national plan to attack President Bush on a problem that any fair observer knows was not his creation. But demagogues don't care about such things. They attack for political gain -- damn the consequences.

Unquestionably, there is an energy crisis developing in this nation. And it is legitimate to question whether President Bush's prescription to increase energy supply is the right one. Personally, I would like to see Bush emphasize the importance of conservation as much as he talks about the need for increased supply. But Holden's attack was simply politics at its worst.

In the past few weeks, Holden has seen his credibility stripped away on a number of issues, not least being how he handled inquiries about his inauguration spending. In almost each case, he has responded by attacking someone else. Responsible leaders don't encourage demagoguery. Shamefully, Holden keeps indicating those are the types of games he prefers to play.

Jon Rust is co-president of Rust Communications.