From the Madison, WIS "Capitol Times" of this date, a nice summation:

Editorial: Unmasking Bush's plan

An editorial
April 29, 2005

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Lee Medley holds up a sign across the street from people waiting in line to see the President Bush in Galveston, Texas last Tuesday. President Bush visited the University of Texas Medical Branch to promote his Social Security plan. (AP Photo/The Galveston County Daily News, Chad Greene)


President Bush has been touring the country for the past two months and then went on nationwide TV last night to try to drum up support for his schemes to privatize the nation's Social Security system. He was never honest with the American people; he claimed that the system was in dire straits and suggested that the "crisis" needed to be responded to immediately, but at the same time he refused to offer specifics about his proposed fix.

In spite of the White House smoke screen, or perhaps because of it, the American people have rejected Bush's appeals. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, American support of the president's approach to Social Security issues has fallen from 41 percent a year ago to 31 percent now. The percentage that disapproves has shot up from 51 percent to 64 percent.

A month ago, only 41 percent of Americans opposed the centerpiece of Bush's Social Security reform proposal: private accounts. Now that figure has risen to 51 percent.

The more Americans know about Bush's "solutions" for the faked Social Security crisis, the more they oppose the president's ideas. Unfortunately, Bush is not engaged in a two-way conversation.

He talks about his "crisis," his "private accounts" and his faith in Wall Street traders to make everything right. But he does not listen to the evidence that his approach will not work, and he does not respond to the expressions of concern from the American people.

The plan he has finally presented to Congress is, for all practical purposes, the plan he started promoting after his inauguration.

So Bush is hopeless, but Congress doesn't have to be.

U.S. Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., summed up the rationale for resistance to the Bush proposal when she said, "Pure and simple, Republicans are manufacturing a Social Security crisis that does not exist in order to dismantle Social Security. If the Republican attempt to cut Social Security benefits went into effect today in my home state of California, the average recipient would see his or her monthly benefits drop by $393. This represents a significant loss in income for persons, many of whom are retired and on a fixed income. We need to strengthen Social Security, not launch a Trojan horse that will eventually lead to the dismantlement of Social Security." ...