Surrogates for Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, took to the airwaves and URLs yesterday to hammer the Bush Administration for its lack of action in controlling high gas prices.

"With gas prices breaking record high after record high, the American people are starting to wonder why this is happening," said Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe. "Today, we're gathered here to say: the facts are in. The Bush Administration is in the pocket of big oil. And it's hurting Americans in their pocketbook."

McAuliffe doesn't specify who "Big Oil" is, but all he would need to do is look at his presumptive boss.

According to Kerry's most recent financial disclosures in the U.S. Senate, on file at the Center for Resonsive Politics, the Kerry family owned between $1 million and $2 million worth of holdings in companies specializing in "oil and gas acquisitions."

(You can get a closer look at those holdings here
and here.)

Previously, the Kerry family pocketed as much as $2 million in capital gains from the sale of stock in mega oil companies including ExxonMobil and BP Amoco.

While McAuliffe and a campaign spokesman pressed the gas-price issue against the Bush Administration yesterday, Kerry himself said nothing publicly about the issue.

However, an option remains on the table for President Bush to force a statement - and action - from Kerry himself. Dick Morris, a pollster, political operator and one-time advisor to President Clinton, suggested yesterday on Sean Hannity's radio program that President Bush submit a proposal to Congress to repeal the Clinton-era 5-cent per gallon gas tax.

Kerry voted for that gas tax, so he would then be in a position of either supporting higher prices at the pump or flip-flopping on his past vote, Morris suggested.

Or, the Bush Administration could simply lay out Kerry's financial disclosures when the discussion returns to Republicans and "Big Oil."