Snowe, er, rains on Bush's privatization parade

Though they may have to cancel the parade altogether due to lack of interest:

Though [Senator Olympia Snowe, R-Maine] said she is not opposed to the idea of personal savings accounts, it has to be "part of a larger retirement security picture, as one dimension" and said she worries about eroding basic tenets of the program.

"I'm certainly not going to support diverting $2 trillion from Social Security into creating personal savings accounts," said Snowe.

"The existing program, as it has been developed in the last 70 years, provides a stable monthly income that has prevented seniors, almost 50 percent from falling into poverty. I don't think we want to erode the principles of that system," said Snowe.

Not only was Snowe critical of the White House plan and public relations effort in recent weeks to press the need for reform of Social Security without many details, she also questioned the need for a massive overhaul now.

"There's various scenarios and interpretations about that urgency. I think first we have to get the facts. There are too many interpretations of the facts, and those scenarios could change based on the variables incorporated in those projections," said Snowe.

And if you are wondering, Snowe is one of those up for re-election come 2006.