Social Security's outlook off a bit, Medicare better

Trustees for the programs look at long-term future

retirement is main focus

"People don't like privatization," Baucus said yesterday. "They don't like the president's plan. It's my sense that the president is going to find that reaction as well, even after he's making this big swing.

"And that's basically because the arguments have been made. People have a pretty good idea of the effect of the president's proposal. They know Social Security faces long-term challenges. And people are very dependent on Social Security, so they take a good hard close look at the proposals that the president and others have put forward. And they're very conservative about them."

`A climate of ideas'

Snow said Bush wants to foster a "climate of ideas" about Social Security and encourage creative thinking from lawmakers of both parties. But the administration believes that private accounts should be part of the ultimate solution, he said.

"We're going to be prepared to talk to people," he said. "You can't say you want a climate of ideas and then say you're not prepared to talk to people. But because we're prepared to talk to people doesn't mean we don't strongly endorse, support and are committed to the personal accounts, because that's where we are."