Social Security:
USA Today's Susan Page looks at spate of key issues for President Bush and Congress and the latest USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll, which shows that nearly twice as many Americans oppose President Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security as support it, and the public's sense of urgency for the revamp is dissipating. And while Democrats remain united, divisions are showing among Republican members of Congress, and some strategists on both sides aren't giving the likelihood of a deal much of a chance. Former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) puts it more bluntly: "'The White House should be looking for an exit strategy.'" LINK
"The percentage who said it was 'extremely important' for the president and Congress to deal with Social Security this year dipped to 37%. In February, before the push began, the number was 41%. Americans rated action on terrorism, health care costs, gas prices and the economy as more urgent."
"Support for investment accounts eroded to 33% from 40%; the proportion who called it 'a bad idea' grew to 61% from 55%. Nearly half of those surveyed said Bush was 'trying to dismantle the Social Security system,' not protect it."
Fred Barnes is nearly as grim as Susan Page, and his grimness probably matters more.
While paying lip service to the Notion that there is still a chance that things could change, Barne (formerly a Beadle, now a Boy) has a must read advice piece in the Weekly Standard:
"History will surely vindicate Bush for trying to solve a serious national problem before it becomes a staggering mess. What's required now, however, is that he be ready to accept defeat in a manner that saves Republicans from losses in the 2006 election and allows him to pursue the rest of his agenda effectively."
"This approach has several advantages. It would spare Republicans a 2006 campaign dominated by Social Security. Most House Republicans would rather run on other issues-taxes, gay marriage, national security, judges-which are more likely to help them avoid the usual fate of a party with a president in his sixth year in office. The average numbers of seats lost by a president's party in the sixth year of his administration are, roughly, 28 in the House and 7 in the Senate.".
Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times takes a look inside President Bush's small-group meetings with Republican members of Congress to answer their questions and try to persuade them to support his Social Security plan. LINK
"The lobbying drive has apparently done little to change minds and bump up the congressional vote count, but the White House says it never intended this stage of the campaign to be an arm-twisting enterprise."
"Still, the fact that Bush has had to mount such a full-court press even within his own party is a measure of just how difficult a political task he faces - and how much the dynamic between the White House and Congress has changed in his second term."
On Sunday, the Washington Post's Jonathan Weisman previewed Tuesday's Senate Finance Committee hearing to draft legislation to overhaul the Social Security system. The hearing itself is likely to be calm, Weisman wrote - but wait till you get outside the door and encounter both sides' protests. LINK
And Iowa, of course, is the home to Sen. Grassley, a site of much Administration attention, and the location of the Drake Diner.