Call me a cynic, but what word other than "hypocrite" is appropriate for a candidate who goes to Detroit to berate the car companies for selling gas guzzlers (incorrectly citing supposed average fuel economy in Japan), yet drives a V-8 hemi-powered Chrysler 300? Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press noticed the apparent contradiction.

...his choice to drive a V8 Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C (http://autos.yahoo.com/chrysler_300_c/) emits a whiff of hypocrisy along with its exhaust fumes. Obama's choice proves once again that fuel economy is seldom the No. 1 factor when Americans buy cars. The 340-horsepower 300C has plenty of room for the lanky senator, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. It gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway, good for a big sedan, but far short of hybrids and compact cars.

His campaign Thursday said it leases a flex-fuel vehicle, and Obama, whose family has just one car, "believes we need to work together to achieve energy independence."