Social Security

I have no idea why I'm so interested in the subject of Social Security, but I seem to have been fixated on it ever since I read about it the day after the State of the Union. Bottom line is that I don't get what Bush is doing in two regards:

1. He raises the whole specter of a failing Social Security system (whether it really is failing is a discussion for a different day), and in response, comes up with a plan that doesn't even pretend to address its long-term viability. Instead, he proposes a plan that would create trillions of dollars in costs in addition to any plan to save Social Security. And then he punts as to how Social Security should be saved, refusing to take a position except that he would oppose any increse in the payroll tax; and
   
2. He's not trying to drum up support for a plan, he's trying to drum up support for a concept. In other words, he's asking for commitment when he hasn't laid out the details. If he's so sure that his plan is the right one, then he better have the details already calculated -- so where are they?

Amazingly enough, I'm undecided on whether creating private accounts for part of social security is a good idea or not. In theory it might be a good idea, but as I suggest above, I'm not about to support a plan until I see some of the details. I do admit that I like one of his plan's elements that has been made public -- modeling private accounts after the Thrift Savings Plan is not just as a way to prevent big risk taking that could really hurt someone's retirement, but it's also as a way of keeping the administrative costs down (much to the chagrin of some of the Wall Street folks who were expecting a big cash-in as a result of private accounts -- the sick thing is that I read that the Wall Street folks are hoping to change this as any legislation on the subject moves forward, but hopefully such a blatant money grab would be thwarted).