"But it's just an IOU, remember?"

Finally found the Times story on the latest attempt for Republicans to dismantle Social Security. This time the plan is to use the surplus Social Security is currently running to fund private accounts. This of course does nothing to shore up the finances of SS which Republicans would have us believe are on the edge of the abyss since SS may stop taking in more than it's paying out sometime around 2017. But it achieves their wet dream of privatizing SS in a way that is stealthy and requires no sacrifice like raising the tax cap -- stealth and tax cuts for the rich -- the Republican Way!

So, to sum up, after being told over and over and over and over by preznit that the SS Trust Fund is "just an IOU," Republicans in Congress want to turn the surplus into...an IOU.

But in the story, David Rosenbaum and Robin Toner have again proven that no Republican talking point will go unmentioned.

Republicans said they hoped the plan would keep the idea of personal accounts alive, allay the fears of the public that the Social Security surplus is being spent elsewhere, and put further pressure on Democrats to engage in the legislative debate over Social Security. [emphasis, moi]

Put further pressure on Democrats to engage? Whaaa? There is no pressure on Democrats to engage. The American people are against private accounts, and polls show that the more they hear about Republican plans, the less they like them.

And would it be too much to ask that our intrepid reporters, ya know, report on whether the plan actually does continue to allow the surplus to be spent elsewhere, and is truly nothing more than an attempt to "allay" those fears? Just askin'. Astonishing.

My god. You'd think the bright shiny new toy -- a flag burning amendment -- would keep the boys occupied.