Oddly enough in Utah, where gasoline could be $5 a gallon and the people would still want President Bush's face on Mount Rushmore, the price of gas remains virtually unchanged.

Am I suggesting that a person of Karl Rove's unquestionable integrity would remind the president's big oil buddies that it might be in their best interest to help their blue-eyed boy maintain a Republican majority in Congress for the next two years by placating the masses with cheaper gasoline? That would represent an enormous campaign contribution! Naaah.

Still if I were an intrepid reporter, I think I would look for a correlation between the cost of a gallon of gas by congressional district, particularly those with Republican incumbents - preferably before Nov. 7.

Steve Bates

Cottonwood Heights