The battle between the two Dems over the "gas tax holiday" heated up on the trail today over Hillary's assertion that she was going to propose gas-tax-holiday legislation to see if members of Congress are "with us or against us" in battling the oil companies.

Obama claimed today that the "with us or against us" language had been borrowed from President Bush -- fightin' words indeed in a Dem primary.

Here's some audio of Hillary saying this on the trail last night...

Hillary, speaking of members of Congress, said: "I want them to tell us, are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?"

Hillary's throwing down of the gauntlet here could increase pressure on members of Congress -- who are also the super-delegates she's courting -- to take a position on the gas tax.

Obama has decided to engage Hillary more directly in the gas-tax-holiday fight, releasing a second ad today responding to her earlier ad hitting him for his refusal to embrace the idea. And on the trail this morning, Obama sought to ridicule her remarks.

"She even borrowed one of President Bush's favorite phrases, and said that every member of Congress had to tell her -- `are they with us or against us?' Obama said.

It's unclear as yet how the issue is cutting politically in Indiana. Obama's decision to engage the issue more forcefully is inconclusive on this question. It could either reflect a belief that she's got him on the defensive on the issue, or a belief that it makes it easier to cast her as a pandering politician, or a bit of both.

For their part, the Hillary campaign says that their internal polling shows that her gas-tax-holiday talk is persuading working people that she identifies with the economic strain they're suffering. Full transcript of Hillary's remarks after the jump.

Hillary's full remarks:

"My opponent, Senator Obama says, "That is not a good idea; that is just a gimmick." And my other opponent, Senator McCain he says, yes, let's do that but let's not pay for it. I think we've got to be responsible about it because the money won't go into the Highway Trust Fund and we need to keep repairing and building and maintaining our roads. So I think we should go after the oil companies.

"I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record. Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station, or do they, once again, stand with the oil companies? That is a vote I am going to try to get because I want to know where people stand, and I want them to tell us. Are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?

That's all short term. Here's what we've got to do long term. We've got to have a Strategic Energy Fund that would invest in new technologies that would unleash the ingenuity and the innovation of the American people."