Fear itself

Whatever one thinks of the direction in which George W. Bush proposes to take the country, it’s clear, after his State of the Union address, that he has one.

This second-term president is no lame duck, no time-server merely reacting to events. He seems determined to shape them. And to overcome the familiar obstacles to any American leader: doubt, inertia, and, above all, fear.

Once again this commander in chief refused to give the enemy in Iraq the satisfaction (and advantage) of setting a timetable for American withdrawal, an “exit strategy” that would endanger the exit itself. American troops would leave, he made it clear, when Iraq could stand on its own as a free, strong and independent ally — not before.

This president well understands the war for Iraq, and for the Middle East, is fought not just in Iraq and Afghanistan but here, on the home front. This is a war not just for Iraqi freedom but for American opinion.

If there is a single key to the success of American foreign policy, it is constancy of purpose. And this president is not about to go wobbly. That goes for domestic issues, too. Here, too, the great enemy is fear — fear of change, of experiment, even of increased freedom.

The domestic issue he emphasized was the need to reform Social Security — so it can prove at least as successful for future generations as it has been for those now drawing or about to draw its benefits.

There was a time when such an effort would have been politically suicidal. Even now any discussion of reforming Social Security is tinged with doubts, rumors and mainly fear.

You could hear the boos from the Democratic side of the aisle when the president dared address the coming crisis in Social Security. His mission last Wednesday night was to confront the rumors, clear away the confusions, and face down the fears the reform critics have so assiduously promoted.

A foresighted leader does not wait until a problem becomes a crisis before acting, and George W. Bush proposes to act. Now.

He made considerable pro-gress in his State of the Union address by broadly outlining what his plan would do to save Social Security and what it wouldn’t:

It would let Americans opt to use part of their payroll taxes to set up investment accounts that would be their money to save, not the government’s to spend. These private accounts could even be passed on to children and grandchildren.

The decision to establish a personal Social Security account would be purely voluntary; those who wanted to stick entirely with the current program could. (Though it’s doubtful most Americans would after the benefits of personal accounts become clearer over the years.)

None of the changes the president proposed would affect the benefits of any American 55 or older.

The personal accounts would be carefully monitored, conservatively invested, and would come with prudent limits. Much like the current Thrift Savings Plan that has long been available for federal employees. (“We will make sure a personal account can’t be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits.”)

Without some changes, Social Security is headed for peril as the number drawing benefits increases and the number paying into the system decreases. Because Americans are living longer and drawing ever-higher benefits, the system is simply not sustainable under current trends — in population and payouts.

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