Bush Takes Pitch On The Road

A day after he made an overhaul of Social Security the centerpiece of his State of the Union address, President Bush hit the road to rally support for his plan to combine reduced government benefits for younger workers with the prospect of higher retirement checks from personal investment accounts.

As he did the night before, Mr. Bush challenged a wary Congress on Thursday to "put partisanship aside and focus on saving Social Security."

In a speech in Fargo, N.D., the president noted that that Democrats grumbled and groaned at his assertion that Social Security will require higher taxes, big benefit cuts or massive borrowing unless something is done to fix its finances.

"Some of them didn't see the problem," he said at the first stop on a two-day, five-state trip to sell his program. Each state he visits is represented in the Senate by at least one Democrat the administration hopes to sway on Social Security.

"I expect people in Congress, when they see a problem, to then come up with solutions," Mr. Bush said.

"In other words, we're not going to play politics with the issue," he promised. "We're going to say, 'If you've got a good idea, come forth with your idea.' Because now is the time to put partisanship aside and focus on saving Social Security for young workers."

Mr. Bush was accompanied on Air Force One by several members of Congress, including Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D. The president spent much of the flight talking with the lawmakers.

"He's saying we've got to take more money out of Social Security to start private accounts and borrow the money," said Conrad, a target of Bush's travels. "I just think it's very unwise."

Other Democrats said Mr. Bush's program could reduce guaranteed government benefits for younger Americans by 40 percent, while swelling the national debt by close to $2 trillion over a decade.

"All of us are willing to work with your administration for Social Security reform that will keep the system solvent for the long term," Senate Democrats wrote the president. "But we are concerned about the fiscal crisis facing the nation, and none of us would find it easy to support a Social Security plan that would increase each American's indebtedness to such a degree."

Mr. Bush could also face opposition from his own party. On Thursday, a key Republican congressman expressed skepticism about the president's plan.

Rep. James McCrery, chairman of the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee, said the idea of diverting payroll taxes is dangerous politically and my not be worth the fight.

"Politically, that's going to be a very strong tool that (opponents) can use to defeat a plan," McCrery said in an interview.

Asked if he thought the Bush proposal could pass the House, McCrery said, "It's way too early to guess."

McCrery is not the only Republican to speak out against the Bush plan.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and a member of the Finance Committee that will handle this legislation, has said she opposes diverting Social Security taxes to pay for personal accounts.

And Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill, said in December that he, too, was skeptical because the issue could easily be used against Republicans running for re-election. He called the issue a "no-win" for members of the House.

Mr. Bush outlined his plans only in broad strokes in Wednesday night's State of the Union address. Aides said that by leaving many key details vague, he intended to give GOP congressional leaders room to piece together legislation that can command a majority.

He laid down a few markers, though, saying he will not agree to increase payroll taxes and wants provisions to keep lower-income Americans above the poverty line during retirement.

"We must guarantee that there is no change" in current or promised benefits for anyone age 55 and older, he said in a move to neutralize opposition from older Americans.

In a 53-minute speech, Mr. Bush also blended the conservative with the compassionate, and gave no ground on his policy on the war in Iraq in which more than 1,400 American forces have died.

He renewed his call for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and announced an increase in the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful convictions.

Social Security was the focal point of the speech, and Mr. Bush called for far-reaching changes in a program that was established in 1935 and remains one of the enduring legacies of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress must "strengthen and save" the program, he said, warning that without action, it was headed for bankruptcy. Official estimates predict that benefits will exceed tax receipts beginning in 2018. In 2042, these estimates predict the trust funds will be exhausted, and benefits will have to be cut to 73 percent of current levels.

Democrats, who argue that Mr. Bush is depicting the problems as grimmer than they are, attacked as soon as he finished speaking.

"There's a lot we can do to improve Americans' retirement security, but it's wrong to replace the guaranteed benefit that Americans have earned with a guaranteed benefit cut of 40 percent or more," said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who delivered his party's formal response along with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

In addition to North Dakota, the president had Montana, Nebraska, Arkansas and Florida on his itinerary.