Know When To Hold Em...

...Know when to fold em.

E.J. Dionne is absolutely correct. The game of reforming doing away with Social Security has been fixed from the beginning by the Bush Administration and it's allies. Anyone who supports the program (e.g. Dems) need to back away from the table. You can't beat the house when the odds are stacked so heavily against you:

Bush's "plan" is still not a plan, just a few ideas. If the president is serious, let him first persuade members of his own party to agree to a detailed proposal so everyone knows what the trade-offs are. If what he has in mind is a good idea, Republicans will be eager to sign on. And if Bush can't get Republicans to go along, might that say something about the merits of his suggestions?

Opponents of Bush's cut-and-privatize project -- they include not only Democrats but also skeptical Republicans -- do have a responsibility. Their task is to subject half-baked concepts to the criticism they deserve and insist that they be fully baked before serious discussions can begin. Social Security, the most successful government program in our history, should not be overturned lightly.

[snip]

Bush has refused to put his own tax cuts on the table as part of a Social Security fix. Repealing Bush's tax cuts for those earning more than $350,000 a year could cover all or most of the 75-year Social Security shortfall. Keeping part of the estate tax in place could cover a quarter to half of the shortfall. Some of the hole could be filled in by a modest surtax on dividends or capital gains.

But Bush is resolute about protecting the interests of the truly rich by making sure that any taxes on wealth are ruled out of the game from the beginning. The Social Security cuts he is proposing for the wealthy are a pittance compared with the benefits they get from his tax cuts. The president is keeping his eye on what really matters to him.

Bush isn't really planning on hearing a debate. He's only hoping to hoodwink a couple pliable Democrats into coming to a compromise that none of them should remotely be considering. Then he can do what he wants (i.e. privatize the entire shebang), and our kids and grandkids will pay for it while the corporate interests who will most surely be involved line their pockets with the inevitable "fees".