by Jacob Weisberg

Slate

03/22/05

George W. Bush's plan to remake the Social Security system is kaput. This is not a value judgment. It's a statement of political fact. In the months since the president first presented the idea as his top domestic priority, Democrats in Congress have unexpectedly unified in opposition to any reform based on private accounts. Several Republican senators whose votes would be needed for passage are resisting private accounts as well. And public opinion, which has never favored any form of privatization, is trending even more strongly against Bush's scheme. At this point, there's just no way that the president can finagle enough votes to win. This means that Bush is about to suffer -- and is actually in the midst of suffering -- his first major political defeat...

http://www.slate.com/id/2115141/


Informant: Thomas L. Knapp