Strategy questions loom for Bush in retirement push

Seven weeks after launching a drive to remake Social Security, President George W. Bush has visited 18 states and traveled thousands of miles but has had little success in getting the public to warm to his idea of private accounts or in enticing Democrats to bring forth ideas.
Experts say Bush is getting closer to some crucial decisions on how far he wants to go to broker a compromise he might be able call a victory in his effort to change the national retirement system.

One dilemma for him is that some ideas that might appeal to Democrats could risk infuriating his conservative Republican base.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the final leg of a two-day western tour, Bush again made a plea for both parties to come to the table.

"In order to solve this problem, it's not going to be a Republican idea or a Democrat idea," Bush said. "It's going to be American idea brought forth by both either Republicans or Democrats or both."

Traveling with Bush in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado was Arizona Sen. John McCain, a one-time Republican rival to Bush, who played on his reputation for bipartisan appeal as he called Social Security an issue that "transcends party identification."

So far, Democrats are focusing their energies on fighting the centerpiece of Bush's plan -- allowing workers to shift part of their payroll taxes into personal investment accounts. They say such accounts would drive up the federal debt and undermine the traditional Social Security program.

Bush first rolled out some details of his proposal in his Feb. 2 State of the Union address. Since then, public opinion polls show no major movement in support of his plan.

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