Bush Turns to Cheney to Sell Private Social Security Accounts

NEW YORK -- Vice President Dick Cheney, who helped President Bush sell his case for the war in Iraq and took the lead in formulating an energy policy, will make 10 to 15 trips across the nation over the next six weeks to try to rally support for the president's Social Security plan, administration officials said, according to Bloomberg News Wednesday.

Bush is mounting a full-court press for private accounts, the keystone of his plan, as polls show rising skepticism about the president's proposals. Republicans and Democrats alike think Cheney can be a formidable ally for Bush on his most important domestic policy, though some question how effective anyone other than the president can really be.

Starting as early as next week, Cheney will hold town hall- style meetings, including one with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas in Bakersfield, Calif., and do interviews with local media via satellite.

Cheney will divide his trips between appearances with Republican congressional leaders and visits to states such as Nebraska and Arkansas, home to Democratic senators such as Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln, who Bush is trying to persuade to support his plan, the administration officials said.

-- NYSSCPA.org News Staff

Posted on 3/9/05