WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama tried to deflect criticism over rising gas prices on Thursday, as he accused Republicans of cheering the bad economic news and asked for patience from Americans anxious about the cost.

“It’s the easiest thing in the world to make phony election-year promises about lower gas prices,” Obama told a crowd at the University of Miami. “What’s harder is to make a serious, sustained commitment to tackle a problem that may not be solved in one year or one term or even one decade.”

The president’s remarks were his first on an issue that has emerged both as a potential threat to the nation’s increasingly upbeat view of the economy and as a cudgel for his political opponents. Amid concerns over the access to oil from Iran, prices in the U.S. have jumped to an average of about $3.60 per gallon for regular gasoline, up from $3.20 a year ago.

Analysts note that such price swings are generally driven by the cost of crude oil on the global market, leaving a president with few options. Still, the White House is mindful that presidents inevitably are blamed for things they can’t control.

Administration officials say they believe Americans are tired of the cycle of blame and contend any political damage will be limited once prices recede. In the meantime, Obama is moving to counter the critics.

The president was once one of those critics. As a senator and presidential candidate in 2008, he blasted President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain for policies he said favored “Big Oil.”

Bush countered that there was “no magic wand” to reduce prices, a notion echoed by Obama today.

“There is no silver bullet; there never has been,” Obama said.

In another flashback to the last campaign, Obama revived his dismissal of Republicans’ demands to expand drilling, a policy captured in GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s call to “Drill, baby, drill.”

Characterizing Republicans’ energy policy, he said: “Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling. You know that’s not a plan — especially since we’re already drilling. That’s a bumper sticker.”