So the minority voice in the Senate may be silenced. So mayhem rages in Iraq. So we lose battles to save our most precious natural resources. So our country is being sold to the highest bidder...or at least to close friends of the reigning party. So the new pope is an arch conservative. Yet, you may console yourself with this: Bush has not yet achieved the destruction of Social Security, his most ardently pursued agenda for this term. Some would even maintain that his plummeting poll numbers are directly related to his efforts to dismantle Social Security. I have more faith in my fellows: I think they evaluate the total picture. All the above mentioned are Bush's doing, except maybe, and I do mean maybe, the pope.

The latest from the Washington Post:

Private-Account Concept Grew From Obscure Roots

And from the New York Times:

Senate Committee Takes Up Bid to Overhaul Social Security