Barack Obama Proposed Use Strategic Oil Reserves

Barack Obama proposed tapping the strategic oil reserve on Monday to help lower gas prices and called rival John McCain a tool of big oil companies as rising energy costs took center stage in the U.S. presidential campaign.

Obama proposed releasing 70 million barrels of light oil, easier to refine into gasoline, from the emergency U.S. stockpile.

He said the light oil could be replaced later with heavier crude in a swap designed to bring quick relief from high gasoline prices.