From Holden:

Georgie is planning to pull out all the stops in order to destroy Social Security.

President Bush (news – web sites) will spearhead an election-style public relations campaign early next year to try to convince Americans that Social Security (news – web sites) is in urgent need of change but will keep dollar and cent details deliberately vague, analysts and officials say.

With Bush’s political capital riding on a successful overhaul of the popular retirement program, the White House and its allies plan to bombard the public with presidential speeches, television and radio ads, newspaper op-ed articles and grass-roots rallies between now and early 2005.

“It’s going to be a battle royal, very much like an election campaign but over an issue rather than a candidate,” said Stephen Moore, executive director of Club for Growth, a Republican group that hopes to spend $15 million on a media campaign backing the White House.

“This is about winning, and Bush can’t afford to lose.”

Ha. He can’t even convince members of his own party that it’s a good idea.

“It’s a no-win for people in the House,” [Rep. Ray LaHood] the moderate, 10-year House veteran from rural Illinois said recently. “We risk our political careers. We risk 30-second ads against you saying, ‘You voted to gut Social Security.'”