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>>Ala Jimmy Carter and the long lines at the gas pumps!
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>The long lines at the gas pumps were in 1973 or so. Carter was elected in 1976.

Dude, you gettin lazy in ur old age or something?<g>

From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_energy_crisis

The Carter Administration began a phased decontrol of oil prices on 5 April when the average price of crude oil was US$15.85. Over the next 12 months the price of crude oil rose to $39.50 (its all time highest real price until May 7th, 2008[7]). During this period domestic U.S. oil output rose sharply from the large Prudhoe Bay fields while oil imports fell sharply. However, since there were no price controls on imported oil, this had no impact on boosting the supply of gasoline in 1979. Hence, long lines appeared at gas stations, as they had six years earlier during the 1973 oil crisis.

As the average vehicle of the time consumed between 2-3 liters (about 0.5-0.8 gallons) of gasoline (petrol) an hour while idling, it was estimated that Americans wasted up to 150,000 barrels (24,000 m³) of oil per day idling their engines in the lines at gas stations.[8]

And this pretty much sums up the difference between a great president and a nice guy, but an idiot.

After 1980, oil prices began a six-year decline that culminated with a 46 percent price drop in 1986. This was due to reduced demand and over-production, and caused OPEC to lose its unity. Oil exporters such as Mexico, Nigeria, and Venezuela expanded. The US and Europe got more oil from Prudhoe Bay and the North Sea.

Wasn't 1980 the year Ronald Reagan became president?<vbg> I guess we could also talk about the interest rates being over 20% while president dufus ruled, and how they fell under THE president, but that would be rubbing salt into the wound, wouldn't it?<g>