Gas prices were $4.21 a Gallon under Bush- So why is Obama to Blame for Gas Prices today ?

I have no idea why people can't be civil on here. That is the true problem with our country. It is this simple, either a President can or cannot influence oil prices. If he can, then both Bush and Obama could. If he can't then neither could do anything about it. I do know some facts. One, gas was cheaper under Bush's reign than Obama's. Two, when accounting for inflation, both are relatively the same. The graph is accurate as far as numbers go when consulting various references. The fact that what drives oil prices is supply and demand. The only power, albeit temporary, that a President has over prices is to open up the Federal Oil reserves to increase supply which in turn lowers prices. But this cannot be done for too long as it could put our nation at risk during natural disasters or dare I say it, war. The production of oil during Obama's first term was higher than it ever was during any other President's term. Problem is, so is our consumption. So here is the dilemma: Do we invest our monies into trying to only increase oil production here in the US when countries around the world can start cutting down their supply resulting in a net increase of zero world wide. Or can we work on increasing supply by cutting our demand through the use of alternative energies. I think both needs to be done but with an emphasis on alternative energies. Oil will not last forever. While we might have enought for a hundred or so years, their is much more abundant resources available. Let's face it, when solar energy runs out, our planet is done. When oil runs out, it shouldn't be. Extracting oil from shale needs to be part of the plan, but we need to put money into wind, solar, geothermal, and others. This didn't seem to be much in the plan of the Republicans (of which I am). So to that I applaud Obama. Now for his other economic policies, not so much. One thing that I do disagree with my party about is this antiquainted idea that to be a global power you have increase the amount spent on defense. I want the best for those who protect but I also want to put them in places where they are wanted. Bush I showed what can be done with bombings and arial assults. Obama has shown when can be done with the use of drones. But this idea of us being the world's police needs to stop. We have enough problems at home where we could use these valuable service men. We are still the number one world power, but if we keep getting involved in more and more of other's problems, we won't be.