"We have a great opportunity now to take action now to avert a crisis in the Social Security system. By 2030, there will be twice as many elderly as there are today, with only two people working for every person drawing Social Security. After 2032, contributions from payroll taxes will only cover 75 cents on the dollar of current benefits. So we must act, and act now, to save Social Security."

George W. Bush? No, William Clinton: February 1998.

"Save Social Security first."

George W. Bush? No, William Clinton: State of the Union speech 1998.

Americans cannot afford any new spending "before we take care of the crisis in Social Security that is looming when the baby boomers retire."

George W. Bush? No, William Clinton.

The administration’s economical advancements cannot go forward as long as the U.S. is "threatened by the looming fiscal crisis in Social Security. We have a great opportunity now to take action now to avert a crisis in the Social Security system."

George W. Bush? No, William Clinton: February 1998.

According to Byron York, National Review White House Corespondent, "In September 1998, Vice President Al Gore went to the Capitol for a Social Security pep rally with congressional Democrats, including House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sen. Barbara Boxer, and others.

"Gore said that in coming years — by 2032 — ‘Social Security faces a serious fiscal crisis.’ Everyone in the group stayed remarkably on-message as they warned that the future was dire.

"’Save Social Security first,’ said Gore.

"’Save Social Security first,’ said Gephardt.

"’Save Social Security first,’ said Kennedy.

"’Save Social Security first,’ said Boxer."

York writes that Clinton was confronted with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. There was a surplus in the treasury. What to do with the surplus? Save Social Security. Clinton kept hammering away with that litany to divert attention from the sex scandal. He kept up his harangue, joined by Dem colleagues, until the scandal subsided, then the Social Security crisis mysteriously disappeared from his speeches.

York contends, along with many others, that there was no Social Security crisis at all in the Clinton administration. Clinton manufactured it to be a crisis. Clinton clones went along for the ride, then got off the trolley when the ride was over.

Now that the US President presents the truth about Social Security, Dems and liberal press makes him out to be a repeat-Clinton-manufacturer of crises. Not so. Social Security is going to be in trouble if the nation doesn’t act responsibly.

Mr. Bush has no sex scandal confronting him. There’s no need to make up a Social Security crisis in order to divert attention from a scandal.

Reality is that responsible government must tend to Social Security matters now. Nevertheless, liberal press continues with the lie to the public, trying to convince that the President is deceitful.

As York underlines, Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson penned recently that "the fabricated crisis is the hallmark of the Bush presidency. To attain goals that he had set for himself before he took office. . .he concocted crises where there were none."

Peter Wehner, White House aid and assistant to political chief Karl Rove, put the Social Security crisis present-tense as "heading for an iceberg. We need to establish in the public mind a key fiscal fact: right now we are on an unsustainable course. That reality needs to be seared into the public consciousness; it is the pre-condition to authentic reform."

As York points out, it’s interesting that in Clinton’s 957-page autobiography, he does not once mention a Social Security crisis, not Social Security at all. As the Monica sex crisis passed, so did Clinton’s Social Security crisis call pass.

However, today the President has a legitimate call. America had better heed or America will be iceberg crashed.

J. Grant Swank, Jr.