Among the people he will talk to are investor Warren Buffett, Eric Schmidt, chairman and CEO of Google, as well as former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.
"What is driving people all across the country right now is worries and concerns about inability to pay the gas bill and inability to buy food because prices have gone up so high," Obama said.
Obama was asked whether high gas prices are a good thing in a way because it has forced the nation to focus on energy policy. He said he did not think so because ordinary families are under enormous stress. However, the question gave him an opportunity to talk about his support for higher fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, which he said his opponent, Republican candidate John McCain, has consistently opposed.
"We should have over the last 20 years been planning for this day," Obama said.
The McCain campaign responded that their candidate has voted for legislation supporting tougher efficiency standards for several years and introduced legislation in 2002 to accomplish that goal.
