Obama and McCain trade blows over petrol prices

Barack Obama today appealed to American voters struggling with the skyrocketing price of petrol, casting Republican rival John McCain as a Washington insider who is in part responsible for the country’s dependence on foreign oil.

Speaking at a rally in Ohio, the Democratic presidential candidate said he agreed with Mr McCain’s recent comment that the dependence “has been 30 years in the making, and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term”.